Five Nights At Freddy's: Another Side
by StartersoverLegends
Summary: When you're desperate for money, there isn't much you wouldn't do to make a buck. But to work at a place as bad as Freddy Fazbear's Pizza you'd have to be totally crazy- at least that's what one night guard thought, before he realized that the rewards of the job might just be worth it. That is, if he can survive. (OC)
1. The New Freddy Fazbear's

***This story was originally written for my profile on a different site. Some errors may have occurred doing the transfer between sites, though I tried to fix as many as possible.***

**Hey there, Startersoverlegends here with something a little different. Rather than my usual Pokémon story, I have given FNAF a shot. I hope you all enjoy it and tell me what you think ;]**

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My eyes rapidly flickered from the monitor sitting on my lap to the dark doorways on either side of me. My heart was hammering, beating loud enough that I could actually hear my own pulse. Cold sweat poured down my face as I lowered my gaze from the thankfully still empty doorways back to the screen that I was holding. Not wasting a second, I cycled through the multiple camera feeds to locate my pursuers despite my trembling hands shaking the screen.

_This is insane! No- more like impossible!_

Seeing that the wandering abominations hadn't covered too much ground yet, I let out a relieved sigh and allowed my tense body to lean back in the leather chair I sat in. According to the tablet-like device that I was given to monitor the security cameras with, I only had about 70% of my power left, and it was only a little past two o'clock. _Great_.

I didn't know for sure what would happen if the power went out, just that it was probably in my best interest to keep the lights on. However, I _did_ know that if I kept freaking out like this then my rushed judgment could easily get me caught. So I took a few deep breaths to calm myself as I inspected my deathbed- oops. I mean 'office.'

I sat in a surprisingly comfortable leather chair that rested against the back wall of a small security office. In front of me was a large wooden desk holding a few other random monitors, as well as a small buzzing fan and three plushy dolls- a chicken, a bunny, and a bear. Hanging on the wall behind the desk were a collection of company posters featuring large smiling animatronics. Again, they were a chicken, bunny, and bear. I think their names were Chicko, Benny, and Frankie? No, that didn't sound right. But hey, in _my_ position I wasn't exactly worried about what _their_ names were. Anyway, that just left the two walls on either side of me. Each held a large metal doorframe beside two buttons that read 'Light' and 'Door' respectively. After some experimenting I now knew that the 'light' button would illuminate the hall momentarily to reveal any threats, while the 'door' one would close off the entryway with a large steel door. I was also left with a plastic bear mask to hopefully fool any animatronic that made its way into the office. These safety features helped me to calm down a bit, but it was hard to completely relax seeing as I only had a limited amount of power to make it to 6 o'clock.

In a life-and-death situation it's hard not to wonder what series of events led you to that particular moment. For me I guess it all started when I was just a kid- I used to come to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza as often as I possibly could. Back then it was a relatively small pizza parlor, since most of the money that was put into the business went toward the restaurant's biggest attractions: the Freddy Fazbear band. The band was made up of Chica the Chicken (backup vocals and keyboard), Bonnie the Bunny (lead guitar), and Freddy Fazbear himself, the lead singer of the band. Aside from the main three animatronics, there was also a fourth named Foxy who resided in a part of the restaurant called Pirate Cove.

I can remember laughing and playing like the other kids my age as our parents simply talked amongst themselves at the waited tables. To me the Pizzeria was about the coolest place on earth. They had arcade games, ball pits, a seemingly endless supply of pizza and soda, and of course the animatronic animals. When Freddy and his friends weren't up on stage playing us their prominently pizza-themed music, they were actually walking among us. Looking back at it now it was kind of strange that the animatronics had a free-roaming mode, but at the time it was the coolest thing ever! Sometimes I would even go as far as to hold hands with the roaming animatronics and explore the restaurant with them. After all, I never really had any human friends. The other kids all thought I was weird for reasons unknown to me, so I was more than happy whenever the robots would play with me and call me their "friend". Some of my best memories were held in that pizzeria... Then they closed. At the time I hadn't known why, but later on learned that it had to do with a group of missing children that were somehow linked to the company.

However, it wasn't long until Freddy's re-opened. They had moved into a larger building and even invested in some new animatronics, including a new and "improved" Freddy Fazbear band. Personally I never really cared for the new 'Toy' models. They all looked so plastic and fake, and somehow seemed more mechanical than friendly. Especially this one puppet-like animatronic that stayed in a large gift box near the back of the restaurant. At times he would slowly rise from his box and give a gift to one of the children nearby. They all seemed to love the puppet, but I was kind of creeped out by it. Later that day I had learned that the original Freddy Fazbear and co. had been put away as spare parts... and I was heartbroken. For the first time in my whole life I actually asked if we could leave Freddy Fazbear's Pizza before it was time to go. It just wasn't the same.

Since then Freddy Fazbear's has closed and re-opened twice- The second restaurant closed after one of the animatronics bit a staff member. I was still really young when it happened, so I don't remember all of the details- only that the staff member survived but the company was once again forced to close. However, just when it looked like Freddy's was done for, history repeated itself. This time the company's salvation came in the form of a wealthy benefactor who paid enough for another restaurant to open. Only the four original animatronics were kept as the new location opened, however. Nobody knows for sure what became of the toy models- some say that they were sold for parts, while others insist that they still remain decommissioned somewhere in the pizzeria.

Then there was the last "closing". I use that term lightly, since no catastrophic event took place that forced the company to shut down. Rather, it was an upgrade. The animatronics that they had were in disrepair after so many years of use as well as recent neglect. They were less than pleasant to look at and had acquired an array of technical malfunctions ever since they were replaced by the toy animatronics at the second location. Taking this, along with the relatively small building that the benefactor had provided them into consideration, the CEO of Fazbear Entertainment decided that it was time to get back on their own feet. And thus came the fourth Freddy Fazbear's Pizza... And my new job.

This building was much larger than the previous, and the animatronics had apparently been patched up and slightly redesigned. However they were still the same robots as in the very first Pizzeria- only with repairs for their neglect, slight changes to their technology, and external modifications that made them more pleasant to look at. Not that I would know, all that I had seen of them was through security cameras in dim lighting.

I was snapped out of my thoughts as I heard a loud crash in a nearby room. The sound caused me to practically jump out of my skin as I scrambled for the monitor in my lap, before turning it on and cycling through the cameras. The first few feeds seemed completely normal so I started to relax. That was, until I switched to the camera placed outside of the security office door and saw nothing... Except for two black eyes with glowing white pupils glaring fixatedly into the camera. I yelped in terror and immediately reached for the door controls. If one of those things was right outside of the office then I didn't care to find out if what the message on the phone said was true.

I quickly mashed the 'Light' button before peeking out into the hall to make sure that I wasn't just seeing things. After all, I didn't have enough power to just close the doors whenever I wanted. I held my breath as I scanned the hallway for any movement. For a while it was perfectly still and I began to question my sanity...

That was when I caught some movement out of my peripheral vision. I nearly snapped my neck to look in that direction, and was terrified at what I saw. Running down the hall toward me at an impressive speed was a large shadow with two piercing white dots for pupils. It was too dark to make out exactly what it was, but I could see that its arms were outstretched toward me and it wasn't slowing down.

An unmanly scream escaped my throat as I stumbled backward and watched in horror as it came closer and closer. My mind was in a fuzz as terror and misguided adrenalin flooded my systems and fogged my judgment. If there was ever such a thing as being completely petrified, that was me. Right now. At the worst possible moment.

My mind was suddenly bombarded with visions of me being forced into a mechanical suit, my bones snapping and muscles tearing as wires and crossbeams impaled me from all directions... And that was when I finally snapped out of it. The animatronic let out an ear-splitting shriek as it approached my office, and I knew there was no time to waste. With a terror-driven lunge I flew toward the controls, and just as the creature was about to reach the entrance I slammed the 'Door' button. Instantly the heavy steel barrier crashed down with all the quietness of a C4 explosion.

I slowly backed away from the wall as the shriek was replaced by an aggravated mechanical roar, followed by several loud bangs on the metal that separated the animatronic from myself. My legs were shaking uncontrollably as I collapsed into the chair, my breathing rapid and heavy. With each pound on the door the lightbulb hanging above me flickered, causing me to reflexively check how much power I had left.

"_What!?_" I yelled as I saw that I only had about 20% left, and with every hit on the door the number would drop another 2% or so. My fear mixed with rage at seeing how this animatronic was putting me in danger even after I used my only defense. Well, not only defense. I still had the Freddy mask, but to be honest I was skeptical about how much that flimsy piece of plastic would help me in this situation.

I watched helplessly as my power drained more... and more... until it was right around the 5% mark. _Well, this is it._ I thought as I looked at the heavy steel door that was shaking like a leaf with every hit. I was terrified as well as pissed off, but also strangely amused. The anger that I felt toward this animatronic was very similar to how one might feel toward a kid who cheats during a harmless game on the playground. Except this game was for my life, and by cheating it was running me out of options. As the power meter finally hit 1% I gritted my teeth.

"Screw you!" I yelled at the door, the anger in my voice wavering a bit as it met fear. I knew that my insult was minor and did absolutely nothing to help me out of my predicament, but it did make me feel a little better. And if these things wanted to end me... Well, they had better be prepared for one hell of a fight. I balled my hands into fists and glared at the door as the final power-draining hit approached. I was scared out of my mind for what might happen to me, but I wasn't about to give this thing the satisfaction of seeing me afraid... Even though it kind of already had earlier.

Time slowed and I knew what was next. There would be a bang and the door would be forced down, then that thing would come for me. As the final hit landed on the door I squeezed my eyes tight and awaited the inevitable-

But just then, something unbelievable happened. Something absolutely amazing, something I could have never expected.

It turned six.

I heard a bell chime from the grandfather clock at the restaurant's entrance and let my eyes slowly open. I shot a look down at the security tablet in disbelief, but it was true- I made it until morning! Normally this wouldn't be such a relief given that there was a bloodthirsty killer bunny/bear/chicken right outside my door, but on the phone message I heard the guy say that at 6 o'clock sharp the free-roaming mode is disabled and the animatronics automatically return to the show stage for the next day.

_I did it... I'm... Alive._

I couldn't help but chuckle at my feat. I had been so close to death only to be saved at the last possible moment. My chuckle escalated into a giddy laugh as I heard the daytime staff and guests begin to arrive at the entrance to the building. I took a few moments to enjoy the simple fact that I was alive before standing up from the chair and stretching. Despite me being up all night I wasn't tired at all- probably because I was still on an adrenaline high. The power came back on so I opened the steel door and looked out into the hall. Sure enough there was no animatronic to be seen, though I could hear music coming from toward the show stage.

I chuckled once more as I began to walk down the temporarily empty hall toward the building's entrance. As I reached the end of the hallway and began walking past the morning rush toward the front door, a voice stopped me.

"Hey! Uh... You!"

I recognized the voice to be the man that had hired me and turned to face him. He went by Mr. Fazbear, though really his last name was Smith or something. He was a short man with a pretty impressive waistline, probably from his years of eating the restaurant's greasy pizza. I personally liked Mr. Fazbear. He seemed kind and practically gave me the job, plus he could almost always be seen wearing a warm smile.

"Me sir?"

"Yes you!" He answered as he gestured for me to come with him. I shrugged and complied, following the man toward the back of the large entrance room to a hall that eventually led us to a door marked "Fazbear Office". Seeing that he was taking me into his office with no explanation, I assumed that he wanted to talk about last night. Good. After going through _that _I had a few words for him as well. Mr. Fazbear held the door open for me and allowed me in before he followed.

"Please, take a seat." He said as he pulled over a chair for me and turned it toward his desk. I accepted and waited for him to sit in his own chair before he continued.

"So, how was your first night on the job?" He asked.

"Honestly? Not what I expected." I replied mock-casually.

"Oh... Really?" He asked slowly.

"Yes really!" I yelled, standing up and glaring down at him. "When I heard 'Night Guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza', I thought that I would be watching out for teenagers who wanted to graffiti curse words on the walls! I didn't expect to be dumped into some horror movie!" Even while I chewed him out he sat comfortably in his chair and listened closely. His calm demeanor led me to believe that some of his previous night guards had reacted this way as well.

Mr. Fazbear sighed. "Look... You seem like a really nice young man. And after surviving a night here, I can tell that you have some serious talent as a night guard. I mean, most guys that come in here either try to bail before now, or..."

"... They die." I answered for him, anger apparent in my voice.

"Well, yes. Tell me, why did you take this job?"

"Because I needed the money." I answered plainly, "I used to come to Freddy's as a kid, so when I heard that they had a job opening I thought it would be perfect. But you didn't tell me that those robots are killers!"

"_Animatronics._" He corrected, "And they're not killers. Look, they're just machines. Machines have glitches, and these machine's glitches just happen to-"

"Try to stuff people into suits!" I answered as I lost my cool again. Mr. Fazbear shot a worried look at the door, probably afraid that someone would hear what I was saying.

"Ok, ok. I see your reason for concern." He answered, "It's a very high-risk job. Ever since the animatronics began displaying this behavior we've only had a handful of night guards make it. With that said, _you_ made it. _You _somehow survived a night, and that is something that very few people can do. You are a true rarity."

"You're saying this like it means something to me." I said coldly.

"It should." He answered as a small smile came to his face, "Because I am willing to compensate for the danger of the job, and pay you much more if you continue to offer your services."

I snorted sarcastically. "_Nothing_ that you have to offer is worth putting my life on the line. And that's that."

To my surprise, the man chuckled. "I'm sorry, but it seems to me that you desperately need this money. Is that right?"

I grimaced. It was true, I did really need money right now. I could hardly afford to take care of myself, and with no education past high school I wasn't qualified for any well-paying jobs.

"...Yes." I answered solemnly.

"I can help you." He answered, giving me his usual kind smile. "And I _want_ to help you. But in return you need to help me."

"Ok... So what were you thinking?" I asked slowly.

"You keep working the night shift. I pay you five hundred a week." He answered, "And you can even have all the pizza you want, on the house."

I gave a small smile but shook my head. "You drive a hard bargain. But I'm still unsure... One of those things almost got to me last night. They know the place better than I do, what if I get caught?"

"I'll tell you what," He started as he stood from his seat, "You agree to keep working for me and I'll show you all of the vents and passageways in the building that the animatronics can't get into. Deal?"

I stared at his hand as he held it out for me to shake. He was offering me a lot... Money, food, and some tips that could make my working here a lot easier. I could tell that just as I was desperate for money, he was desperate for a good night guard. I _really_ didn't want to come back, but what better choice did I have?

I sighed. "Deal. But don't expect me to stay long."

He smiled as he shook my hand "Excellent, mr...?"

"Call me Dustin." I answered with a smirk.

**_Earlier that night, in a deserted part of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza... _**

It was dark... As usual. The curtains that enclosed the area prevented light from coming through from the outside, and the skylight overhead was no help as it was now nearing midnight. Not that the time really mattered, the glass was left so dusty and unclean that barely any light would filter though it on even the sunniest days. The place seemed barren- totally deserted, even. But there was one person who remained in the darkness... well, not really much of a _person_ parse.

Sitting amid the dusty pirate-themed props was a large animatronic fox, with a rose red coat and shining golden eyes. In the pitch black, however, all that could be seen of her were two glowing orbs as she simply stared into the nothingness that surrounded her. After all, that was all that she could do anymore. It seemed fitting that this was the place she was banished to- the props around her hadn't been used in ages. They were junk. They were forgotten. And likewise, she hadn't been used in ages... She was junk. Forgotten.

The lone foxlike animatronic looked down at her damaged body. Her lower jaw was loose and dangling, her joints creaky and stiff. Besides this she also knew that she had many issues within her technologies, such as her voice box which was now glitchy and warped. When she and the other animatronics were moved to this location each was given a makeover of sorts, including new proportions that were supposed to make them look more humanlike. Unlike the others, however, that was all that she had received. Her figure was curvier now at the bust and hips, emphasizing on the fact that she was a female. Her damaged coat was also stitched up and patched, But she was not repaired. All of the others received special treatment, including a thorough cleaning as well as new clothing and technology. She got nothing like that... After all, it would be a waste of money. No one ever came to see her.

_They must think I'm a monster..._ She thought as she felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. Nobody cared about her... Nobody tried to help her... The only time that she had been out of the Cove in what felt like years was when the improvements were made to her appearance. And while she was grateful that the owner of the Pizzeria had paid for her cosmetic modifications as well as a quick stitch job on her coat, she was confused as to why he did it. She wasn't open to the public... In fact, she sometimes wondered why she was even kept around rather than just being scrapped. She eventually came to the conclusion that he just didn't want to let her go, given that she was one of the original 4 animatronics. If that was the case, then was she nothing more than a souvenir?

A single tear fell from her whiskers and hit the floor with a soft _dink_. She was alone and hurt, and wanted- no, needed something desperately: She needed someone who would accept her and give her a reason to smile. Someone- _anyone_ who would help her out of this dark hole she was trapped in.

She needed a friend.

But she had wished for one every night for years, imagining a day where some stranger would find her here and show her what it means to be a 'friend', and still no one ever came. Maybe it didn't matter if someone did find her anyway. After all, who could possibly like her? She was a freak, an outcast. She was a monstrosity and unfit for anyone to see. She was... nothing. Several more tears joined the first as the lone fox began to whimper silently in the darkness of her home.


	2. The Return

I approached the large building slowly, despite the fact that it was completely dark outside as well as raining. As I reached the freshly cleaned glass doors I paused and checked my watch. It was only 11:30 so I still had about half an hour to kill before my shift would actually start. I came early for a reason though- I wanted to make sure that I knew where all of my escape routes were in case I ran out of power again. Earlier that day Mr. Fazbear had given me an in-depth tour of the building's ventilation systems, but a little refresher couldn't hurt.

Through the glass I could see a single light on in the large lobby, as well as one of the cleaning staff still mopping the floor. With one last breath of the night's fresh air I pushed the door open and walked inside. The mopping man flinched at the sound of the door opening and turned to face me. I smiled and nodded politely at him as I turned toward one of the hallways that would lead me to the security office. He gave a small smile in return, but I noticed that he immediately stopped what he was doing and started putting his cleaning supplies away. Seeing the night guard already here probably spooked him, given that my shift started right around the same time that… well, you know.

The rest of the building's interior was completely dark, so needless to say my walk down the long hallway was much more difficult than you might expect. Finally I was given relief from the relentless darkness as I could see light flooding out of a doorway at the end of the hall and hastily made my way toward it.

I entered my office at 11:37, and even though I had only been in the cramped room once before it still caused a feeling of intense terror to well up inside of me. But I suppose that should be expected given that I almost drew my last breath here not even a day ago. Everything seemed to be just how I left it the previous night- that was, except for a shopping bag that sat on the desk next to the plush animals.

I walked over to the desk and opened the bag to find a note, as well as a flashlight and folded up paper. First things first- I picked up the note and began to read.

_Dustin,_

_I know that I just gave you a tour of the place this morning, but in the heat of the moment it can be easy to forget details. So I got you a few things to help you navigate through the building at night. Hope they help._

_\- Mr. Fazbear_

That was nice of him. It was good to know that he was looking out for me- or maybe he just didn't want to lose another night guard. I tucked the note into my pocket and pulled out the flashlight. It reminded me a lot of the ones that police officers use, dark and surprisingly heavy. I tested the weight in my hand a few times before turning it on and shining it around my office. The light that it provided wasn't the brightest, but that was okay with me. After all, I didn't want to give my position away to any of the animatronics. Next I moved on to the folded paper. As I opened it up I found that it was actually a map of the building, and had every accessible vent outlet marked with a little red X. I silently thanked Mr. Fazbear for the gifts as I pocketed the map and readied the flashlight. Turning it on, I walked out into the halls to refresh my mental map.

Unsurprisingly the eerie atmosphere of the restaurant was even more unsettling after-hours. I slowly walked through a few of the nearby hallways, shining my flashlight on the walls and into each room that I passed. I also took note of a few of the vents that I saw as I moved along. My walking was unnaturally loud given the complete silence that currently consumed the building, each step I took sending a soft _Click_ echoing off the walls.

_I think that's good for tonight,_ I decided as I stopped near the end of a hall. I was about to head back to my office but did one last sweep of my surroundings with my flashlight, just in case I missed something.

I paused suddenly as the beam of light shone into a nearby room and landed on something that I couldn't believe. It was a wall covered in papers, each with a crude drawing on the front of the Freddy's animatronics along with smiling children. I slowly walked toward the wall as I realized that this must be one of the rooms where they display the kid's drawings. But that wasn't what had caught my attention.

The flashlight remained aimed at one picture in particular. The paper was fading with age, but the colorful illustrations remained. It was a drawing of a little boy flashing a huge grin as he held hands with Freddy. Beside the large bipedal bear was Foxy, while Chica and Bonnie stood on the other side of the boy. All of the animatronics were smiling in the picture, with scribbly music notes and stars surrounding them. Written above the figures was "I Love Freddy's!" in an assortment of different colors. I couldn't help but smile as I gently took the paper in my free hand and turned it over. Written neatly on the back was "Dustin, 1984."

"I can't believe that they kept this…" I said quietly as I turned the paper back over. It was something that I drew at the very first Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria back when I was just a kid… Though back then I think they called it a 'family diner'. I stood back and studied the picture as old memories began flooding my thoughts. I found it kind of funny that these animatronics used to be my favorite things in the world, and yet here I was trying to keep them from killing me.

My thoughts were shattered as I heard the familiar sound of a grandfather clock. I paused for a moment as reality slowly returned to me, before my eyes grew wide in fear. It was 12 o'clock- the animatronics would be on the move! I cursed under my breath as I ran to the room's door and peeked out into the hall.

_How could I let time get away from me like that? I'm so stupid! _I thought as I mentally attacked myself. _I should be in the security office right now where it's safe! _Well "safe" was a bit of a stretch. But it sure beat wandering around in the halls with _them_.

I stopped in the doorway and listened for any sign of the monsters. After a few minutes of nothing but silence I steeled myself and shined my flashlight down the hall. _Thank God_ nothing was there. I let out a relieved sigh as I exited the room, but stopped to shoot one last glance at my old picture before running down the hall toward my office.

I never realized before now how hard it is to run quietly. I practically sprinted down corridors and through party rooms while trying hard to make as little noise as possible. In this situation some might take the 'stealthy and silent' approach in returning to the office, but I had my motives for wanting to get there as soon as possible: One being that I hadn't even thought to bring the fake Freddy mask with me, and two that I was having somewhat of a mini panic attack. All that I could think about was the thing that I saw last night, with those heartless glowing eyes and terrifying strength. To add to the challenge, the security office didn't have a vent outlet- instead I had a desk fan. _A flipping fan_. Yeah, that was a _ton_ of help at the moment.

Finally I reached the home stretch. A spark of hope rose within me as the light from the security office came into view, causing me to speed up considerably. _I'm going to make it! _I thought as I drew closer and closer to my safe haven. I couldn't believe my luck! I basically ran through half of the restaurant, and didn't even see a single animatronic!

Just as I came within about twenty feet of the office doorway, I realized that I spoke _way_ too soon. A large yellow head suddenly peeked out from around the corner and looked straight at me with shining purple eyes that widened in contempt. _ONE OF THOSE THINGS WAS IN THE OFFICE!_

I immediately stopped running, causing me to slide a few feet forward before whipping around and taking off in the other direction.

_**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**_

A terrible mechanical shriek came from behind me. It sounded nearly identical to the one that I had heard the other night, causing me to wonder if it was the same animatronic as before. But no… I could have sworn that the other one looked… Purple? God, I didn't know. And at the moment I didn't really care. I could hear heavy footsteps following me at a rushed pace, and it sounded close enough that any mistake on my part was likely to get me killed. My heart was beating so fast that I thought I might have a heart attack- but that was the least of my worries at the moment.

I strained my panicking mind for directions on where to go in this situation, but it was impossible to think straight. And while I had the map that Mr. Fazbear gave me, now wasn't exactly the best time to pull it out and strategize. Instead I had to rely on pure instinct. Seemingly out of nowhere I turned into one of the party rooms that I passed through earlier, and made a discovery. As I crossed the large room to the opposite door I noticed that my sharp turn earned some distance between me and my pursuer. _So this thing isn't so good at making turns huh? _I thought as I turned into another hallway. I could use that to my advantage.

Despite my burning lungs and now slightly wobbling legs, I continued to sprint down the pizzeria's halls- except I made a slight change to my actions. Every time I would come up on a room that had an alternative exit I would make a sharp turn which would result in the animatronic losing ground. After repeating this process about three times I had enough distance between me and it that I decided to try hiding and letting it pass me. My eyes flickered left and right to find a suitable room to duck into, and luckily a match was found before the yellow animatronic had come around the last corner that I had passed.

I rolled into the doorway of the empty room before I could be seen, though perhaps "roll" is too gracious. In my rush I had fallen into the room and bashed my head against the cold tile floor.

In any other situation I would have cried out in pain and curled up on the ground from the blow, but there was no time for that now. The room was spinning and I was thoroughly winded, but somehow I found the strength to scramble to my feet and press myself against the wall beside the door.

Seconds later I could hear hurried footsteps approaching from the hall and held my breath. As I heard the animatronic growing nearer to the door I began to panic. What if it somehow knew that I was in here? By the time that it came in there would be no time for me to escape. I began shaking heavily as those pounding footsteps grew closer... and closer... I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed that my plan would work and it would just pass me by. And yet, in the midst of the situation I couldn't help but think that 'I am _not _getting paid enough for this.'

Despite my horrible luck that night, something must have been going for me because the footsteps passed by the door without so much as a pause. I nearly collapsed in relief as I let out an exhausted sigh. After taking a few minutes to catch my breath I turned on my flashlight and shone it around the room. It seemed very similar to many of the other rooms in the building that were used for private parties: In the center was a medium-sized table while the walls were decorated with Freddy-themed posters and painted balloons.

_That was too close, _I thought as I decided that the coast was clear for me to move again. After replaying the last several minutes in my head I figured that the animatronic that chased me was Chica by its coloration. Now that she was gone, maybe _now_ I could finally make it back to the security office in relative safety. It seemed like my luck was finally turning around-

And again, I realized that I spoke too soon as I heard a hearty baritone laugh echo through the halls from somewhere in the restaurant. I froze- that voice was unmistakable. Ladies and Gentleman, Freddy Fazbear is in the building.


	3. The Survivor

**Well, this is the last of the three starting chapters. Now, some of you may be wondering why I have this story on two sites- well, let's just say that the other site ofwhichshallnotbenamed severely disappointed me. I'm glad to be back on where I belong XD.**

***Edit: after digging a little deeper, I would like to take back my previous statement regarding the quality of most other FNaF stories. I have found that, in fact, there are several amazing stories out there on the subject. With that said, I apologize to any writers that I might have offended by prematurely stating that many FNaF stories are "sub-par" in storyline and grammar usage. Once again, there are a ton of great FNaF stories out there, many of which I am also reading at this date.***

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**-Startersoverlegends**

* * *

It was dark, mind-numbingly so. There was no sound, no light, no energy at all. Foxy had learned long ago that there was a separate world hidden behind Pirate Cove's curtains. Her life here was stagnant and lonely to the highest degree. Honestly, was it even a life? She didn't know anymore. To her, life was seeing, hearing and feeling. It was about laughing and crying while facing the world's ups and downs with those that you love most. But here she was held in the unmatched loneliness of the Cove, and felt... nothing. And while she had cried many times since being exiled and hidden all those years ago, she couldn't remember laughing even once since. Still, she would gladly suffer all of these troubles if only she had someone to spend her days with. Someone who would accept her for who she was, and show her what it's like to have a friend. But she also knew how slim her chances were of anyone ever caring for her.

The red foxlike animatronic sighed. _No one will even care that I'm here- let alone like_ _me. I'm a machine and a monster._

Her glowing yellow eyes pierced the darkness and wandered her familiar surroundings. Somewhere out in front of her she could see a line of dull bluish light where the curtains were separated slightly. She could remember what it was like before she was closed in, back when her act in Pirate Cove was actually pretty popular. Each morning those faded purple curtains would open to reveal countless children smiling in anticipation. She would always flash a toothy grin back before she would start to sing:

'_Do, de dum do dum dum de, yes sir 'tis a pirate's life for me.'_

A faint smile formed on her face at the memory. She missed seeing their beaming faces, and missed all of the shanties and adventures that she had shared with the children. She began to slightly tremble as she opened her damaged mouth a bit and tested her vocalizations. It took her a few tries, but finally she managed to regain control of her lately unused voice. Then she started to sing, soft and slow.

"Do... de, dum d-do dum dum de..."

She smiled as the familiar sound reached her ears- she was really doing it! She could hear _her _voice again! Not the cliché pirate voice that was preset within her for shows or a technological shriek, but _her_ actual voice! She was amazed that even after all these years of disuse she could still sing just like she did before. Her confidence grew, and for a moment her broken spirits lifted- until...

"Yes sir, 'tis a pirate's life for meee-**R**-ee-**REEEEEEEEEEE!**"

Her eyes widened and she quickly clapped her good hand over her mouth to end the horrible noise. Still, the shrill sound echoed off of the walls of the empty building for several moments later, reminding Foxy of what she really was. Her smile instantly faded into a somber frown. Her circuits and voice box were so worn and damaged that she couldn't even sing her old song anymore... And even though in truth she hated the fact that she was made as a pirate, that song was all she had left to remember her past by.

Foxy felt tears begin to well in her eyes as her momentary break from the sorrow ended. She sobbed quietly for a while before a familiar dark thought crossed her mind-

'_Should I just end it all?'_

After all, what was the point of living like this anymore? She had no purpose, and even if she died nobody was likely to notice or care. She cast her eyes down to the hook attached to her arm. It was sharp, heavy, and definitely looked like it could get the job done... just one quick thrust into her core and all of this loneliness and pain would end. She made up her mind and whimpered as she brought her hook hand up and placed the tip against her chest. The metal was cold against her fur causing her to flinch against the contact. Regardless she turned the hook so that it would easily pierce through her and prepared to thrust inward. Her arm shook and she began to whimper as she started driving the hook toward its target with her mechanical strength. Both her heart and mind were racing and all she could think was '_could this really be the end?'_

Suddenly she jerked to a stop and paused as the hook tip was just barely buried into her outer pelt.

'_...No_._'_

Foxy sighed and lowered the hook, using her other still shaking hand to wipe her tears. It was pathetic, but she still couldn't take her own life...

_Huh? What was that? _

Her ears perked as a sound came from somewhere in the restaurant. She turned to the curtains and focused her hearing in that direction not long before a similar shriek as hers tore through the silent halls. Her body tensed- she knew that sound all too well. It was the cry made when one of the other animatronics was attacking a night guard, which she guessed was taking place right then. Given that she hadn't heard any children or staff in the building for several hours, Foxy assumed that it was probably close to 12:30 now, meaning that the animatronics were active and making her hunch even more likely.

Her ears drooped and she bowed her head as silence followed the scream. So much death and sorrow filled this building, yet anyone who visited seemed completely oblivious to it. Right now, for example, some living, breathing person was probably being shoved into a mechanical suit, their life being crushed out of them... But nothing would change.

She kept her head bowed in respect for the victim for several minutes after the scream. Even if she didn't know them, being killed in such a matter was a terrible fate that no one should have to face. She knew this in her heart, even though it had happened so many times before that she was growing numb to the act.

Suddenly she heard something in the distance and raised her head. It sounded like a repetition of soft clicks, but was gaining in volume. As the sound grew louder she realized that it sounded almost like... footsteps? She looked through the small part in the curtains as the sound grew closer. Yeah, those were definitely footsteps- but whose? Just then a shadow flew by her curtains as a blur, causing the curtains to blow a little further open before settling back into their usual state. She stared at the curtains in confusion and slight shock. The only person who should be here this late would be the night guard, but they were already caught... right?

Then a second set of footsteps came from the same direction of the first at a similar rapid pace. The only difference was that these sounded much heavier, and gave off a whirring sound as they approached. Foxy watched as, just like before, a shadow charged by the cove causing the curtains to part. This shadow, however, was notably larger than the first and appeared to be a bright yellow color. After the second figure had passed the curtains once again settled back, but remained parted a little further than before due to the wind following the large creature.

Foxy stared out into the hallway from the enlarged gap left in the curtains and replayed what just happened in her head. Was that... Chica? Yes, there was no mistaking that yellow color. But what about the first shadow? It couldn't have been the night guard could it? No, no one had ever escaped once the animatronics got to them. Unless...

_What if the guard wasn't in the office when they were spotted? _Foxy thought as a realization hit her_, That might give them just enough time to get away!_

She smiled to herself and silently hoped that this guard might be the first to escape the other animatronics' clutches. But they would have to be extremely lucky to survive the night like this... especially if Freddy found out.


	4. The Discovery

**Hey guys! Startersoverlegends here with a new chapter. But before that, I want to thank everyone for your favorites, follows, and reviews. It means a ton :D**

**Oh, by the way... SWEET BABY RAYS, THE STORY IS AT 500+ VIEWS!**

**Well that's all for now, but I have a pretty important A/N at the end of this chapter, so please check it out.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Dustin ran as fast as he could through the halls, looking desperately for escape. Yet again he had found himself in a position threatening death, leading him to believe that tonight the animatronics were behaving even more aggressively than the previous. As he ran for his life for the second time tonight, adrenaline and fear took over his mind, preventing him from forming understandable thought. Though, if he could think, it would probably be a long string of curses aimed at himself for taking- then coming back to- such a terrible job in the first place.

The night had also taken its toll on him physically. He was breathing heavily as he sprinted through the restaurant's halls, his legs burning from all of the prolonged running...

_**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**_

... But that would have to wait.

_Man, how many of these things are after me!?_ He thought as he heard yet another screech from somewhere behind him. At least two for sure... It was now more than ever that he really appreciated all of the running that he did back in high school, otherwise the animatronics surely would have caught him by now.

Finally Dustin saw what he was looking for just ahead of him in the hallway. It was one of the rooms that could be reserved to hold a private party in, and he remembered from his walk earlier that there was a vent inside he could use to get away. Hoping that the lead he held against his pursuers would provide enough time to escape, he turned on a dime into the room, resulting in his sneakers skidding on the tile floor. Then he made a beeline to a large vent installed low on a wall opposite to the door.

Dustin slid across the semi-clean floor to the vent on his knees and immediately started to remove the grate covering it. The grate served as a safety feature to prevent kids from climbing into the vents and getting hurt, but at the moment it was doing more harm than good as he could hear two sets of heavy footsteps rushing toward the room from behind him_. Come on!_ Dustin thought as he frantically attempted to remove the heavy grate. Mr. Fazbear had mentioned how he purposefully made the grates easy to remove to someone with adequate strength, but in his struggle Dustin began to wonder what Mr. Fazbear's definition of 'adequate' was.

Finally he managed to pry the protective barrier off the vent, resulting in the grate falling to the floor with a metallic rattle. By this point however, the animatronics' footsteps were mere feet behind him, leaving no time to waste and causing Dustin to charge into the vent as fast as he possibly could. Somehow he made it through in just enough time, pulling his upper body through the vent before the animatronics reached him.

_I'm going to make it!_ Dustin thought as he quickly crawled into the surprisingly spacious passage. But just as he was pulling his legs into safety something latched onto his right ankle, stopping him in mid-crawl and causing him to fall hard against the aluminum beneath. _What the..?_

He looked back and felt his heart lurch in terror, as he could see a large purple hand wrapped around his ankle, as well as a pair of glowing eyes glaring from the darkness. That was when he felt his whole body being dragged toward the vent's entrance as the hand holding him pulled back with unmatched strength.

"No!" Dustin cried as he began flailing about in a panic, looking for something- _anything_ to help him in this situation.

He yelped in pain as something sharp suddenly impaled his right hand. Looking over, he could see a gap between the vent panels where the metal was somehow bent. One edge of the panel was now stained in fresh blood, which was now leaking out of his hand from the sudden impact against the sharp metal. Regardless, Dustin cringed through the pain and clenched onto the metal as his other hand grabbed hold as well for support.

The animatronic kept pulling back on his ankle, but no longer made any progress. This resulted in a mechanic growl echoing from behind him as his captor doubled its efforts in dragging him out. The extra force pulling against him forced Dustin to tighten his grip on the metal even harder, causing even more of his crimson blood to spill from both.

"No! Let go of me you stupid robot!" He yelled through gritted teeth as the pain from both his hands and his ankle became nearly unbearable. He began kicking at the animatronic with all of his might, but any attempt to be freed had absolutely no effect on it. Its sturdy grip on his ankle wasn't wavering, and by kicking at it the guard was just loosening his own grip on his only lifeline.

Dustin aimed a powerful kick against the hand that was gripping him, but immediately regretted his decision as his toe stubbed against the hard chassis that made up the animatronic's exterior. He cursed himself for seriously thinking that kicking a metallic robot was a good idea. With that option out, he focused more on his grip on the blessed crack that kept him alive.

All he could hear, aside from his heavy breathing, were an array of terrifying metallic hisses and screeches from behind him._ This isn't good,_ Dustin thought as his sweat began to burn his palms, causing even more pain. _At this rate I'll never get out of this place alive… Ugh, come on, think!_ _There has to be some way out of this... Maybe I could try to just hang on and wait it out? No, my hands will surely have given out before then. There has to be another way..._

He looked down at his belt and saw the flashlight that Mr. Fazbear had given him earlier. He remembered how heavy it was when he was checking it out in the office and got an idea. Taking a breath, Dustin took one of his hands off of the crack, resulting in him being pulled back a few inches. He grimaced at the movement and doubled his grip on his makeshift handhold. Then he reached down and removed his flashlight from his belt, flipping it in his hand so that the back of it was facing the robot.

_Well, here goes nothing,_ He thought as he drew the flashlight back and took aim at the animatronic's hand. Then, using all of his might, he swung his arm forward hoping not to miss and hit his own leg. Luckily his aim was true, a loud _Bang!_ echoing through the vents as the flashlight connected with his captor's hand.

But it was what happened next that came as a surprise. Rather than simply weakening the hold on his ankle as he had imagined, the animatronic actually flinched from the contact and yelped in an almost hurt way. Could these things actually feel pain?

The grip on his ankle was still crushing, but now loosened just enough that he began trying to pull himself out. Using the crack to hoist himself forward, his ankle began to slip ever so slightly, while still feeling as if it was tearing from the very action. Still, Dustin gritted his teeth and pulled further... and further... until-

_Crack!_

Dustin cried out in pain as his body lurched forward. His entire ankle felt like it was on fire, and his hands burned where two large gashes were on each palm. Mechanical shrieks and roars came from the entrance to the vent, causing Dustin to back away until he was at a comfortable distance from his attackers. It was there that he watched in horror as two large robotic hands were reaching into the vent, grasping about blindly for him. A shiver went down his spine as he looked away and instead turned his attention to his ankle.

He couldn't see it well in the darkness, but he could feel a large indent on his upper foot, which was now throbbing with a sharp pain.

_Damn... I hope it's not broken._ Dustin thought as he gently touched his ankle and winced from the contact. He then looked ahead of him into the vents. It seemed that there was only one way to go- at least for now. The only problem was that the vent made a sharp incline just feet from where he was, causing him to sigh. _This is gonna suck._

* * *

After many painful and slow minutes of dragging himself up further into the vents, Dustin let out a breath of relief. From here on out the passage seemed to be level- something that he really appreciated in his current condition. He could also see panels on the floor ahead of him where dim light was coming through, and figured that they were vent outlets as well.

"I must be in the ceiling then." Dustin muttered to himself as he began crawling forward. As he reached one of the panels he paused and pulled out his map. It was a bit wrinkled and worn from earlier, but not damaged enough that he couldn't make sense of it. Still, it was too dark to see on its own so Dustin pulled out his flashlight and turned it on. It took him a few tries to get the light to shine more than a flicker, he guessed because of how hard he hit it against the animatronic earlier. It was still strange to him that it had cried out like that… as far as he knew, robots couldn't actually _feel_ anything. He meditated on the subject for a minute before shrugging it off for later. Now he just wanted to find a place to go that wasn't some grimy air vent in a deadly pizza place. He shone the flashlight on the map for a minute, but couldn't make sense of where his location was exactly.

_Maybe I could use the room beneath me for a reference,_ he thought as he moved to shine his flashlight down through the vent under him.

"_Aggh! What the-_ " Dustin nearly jumped out of his skin as he flew back against the vent wall, heart hammering in his chest. _No way- was that really..? _He thought as he took a moment to catch his breath. Then he shone his light back down again, yelping unintentionally at what he saw.

The room itself was perfectly normal- it was what (or who) was in it that came as a surprise. Standing directly below the vent were a large purple animatronic with glowing eyes and bunny ears matched with a red bowtie, as well as a slightly smaller yellow one with feathers and a bib hanging around its neck that read "_Let's eat!_" (Which was creepy enough on its own). Both were glaring up through the vent grate directly at Dustin, with eyes that were dark and otherwise empty aside from the pinpricks of light shining in each. The purple one, Bonnie, was completely still as it stared up, its eyes almost rolling up to meet Dustin's. The chicken, on the other hand, had its whole head rolled back limply to look up, almost as if its neck was broken. However, the most disturbing aspect of its appearance was the second set of teeth that were closed back behind its front row.

It took a while for Dustin to recover from their sudden presence in the room, but after a minute where neither of them moved he relaxed enough to properly observe them. Chica looked a lot more feminine than she did when he was a kid, with a lemon yellow exterior that seemed to be made out of actual feathers. Her eyes were also a bright purple, surrounding the dark portion which was currently widened as she stared back at him. He took note of her accentuated curves, and how her bib cleverly concealed her bust. Below her waist she had orange legs that split into feet similar to how a cartoon chicken's would look. Last was the top of her head, where the feathers stuck up in such a way to make her look like she had hair. Her 'hairdo' had a punk rock feel to it for Dustin, which would have been cool had she not been trying to constantly kill him.

Next was Bonnie, whose appearance confused him. He always thought that Bonnie was a male animatronic, what with its usually bulky exterior and bowtie placed at the base of its neck. But here, this one seemed to be designed to look more female. Its eyes were a light green color, reminding Dustin of how an emerald might look. Similar to Chica, it had a bust and other curves that simply weren't there in the past restaurants. It also seemed to be slimmer than in the past, but was still notably larger than a grown man. Unlike Chica, however, Bonnie didn't have any clothing aside from its bowtie, but was instead covered in what appeared to be a layer of purple fur.

"Huh…" Dustin hummed as he looked over the two one last time before focusing on the map again. After a few minutes of studying the paper, he sighed. He still had no idea as to where he was or where he should go. _Well, I guess I just have to keep moving then. _He thought as he folded the paper up and tucked it into his pocket, before getting on his hands and knees and crawling further into the vents. _Later creepy robots… _

Before long he had reached the next vent panel, and paused to shine his light into this room as well.

"_Gah! Mother-_" He yelled as he once again jumped. "_They're still there!?" _Below him, the two animatronics were still standing in the same positions, and still staring up into the vent. In fact, had it not been a different room Dustin would have thought that they had never moved in the first place. Yet, here they were, creepy as ever.

_Wait… Are they… Following me? _Dustin thought as he stared down at the animatronics. That was when the realization hit him- they were just following the vents, waiting for him to come out! Feeling steadily more creeped- out, Dustin began crawling forward faster than before, trying to ignore the pain from his ankle as he moved.

He didn't even need a flashlight as he crossed over the next vent because he could see their shadows, still waiting underneath him for their chance to stuff him into a robotic suit. By this point paranoia was beginning to creep upon Dustin like a virus and influence his actions. He was now crawling as fast as he could through the vents, breathing heavily as he watched the two animatronics lay in wait beneath him in every room. The shadows closed in on him as he began sweating heavily, every sound the vent made causing him to jump and move even faster. Before long he was rushing through the vents, crawling fast enough that he might as well have been running. The pain in his hands, head, and ankle didn't matter- he just needed to get away from this deathtrap.

After a while the shadows stopped appearing in the rooms beneath him, but he didn't slow down. It had to be some kind of trick, like they were trying to lure him into a false sense of complacency before they would strike. His arms and legs trembled as he barreled through the aluminum tunnel, not paying any mind to the loud sounds he was making as he crawled. That was when he noticed the vents change in front of him. Instead of the semi-cleaned silver ones that he had been in all this time, these were noticeably worn with age. Rust was building up on the corners and many had gaps between the panels where the building's settling caused them to shift. It was obvious that this section hadn't seen maintenance or repairs in a long time, but regardless Dustin continued on, his mind much more worried about other things than the integrity of one part of the building.

After moving several yards into the section of damaged vents Dustin felt the aluminum beneath him shudder, causing him to pause. A loud creaking sound was coming from around him, and he wondered if he should turn back.

_No way, I'm not going back toward those things. _He decided as he shifted his weight onto the next panel, _I would rather risk falling through the ceiling itself._

And that was when a panel buckled then collapsed from beneath him, sending him falling into the darkness below with a cry of surprise.

* * *

**Meanwhile, on the ground…**

Two animatronics rushed along to the sound that the vents made as the night guard tried in vain to escape them. Each time he would cross over a room they would stop just below the vent and wait for him to crawl overhead, hoping for the vent to buckle under his weight and dump him right into their arms.

But despite the odds, the vents had held up and now he was moving beyond the stretches of the hallway they had been following. The two paused as they heard him moving toward the most run down part of the restaurant.

Pirate Cove.

It wasn't much from the outside- just a purple curtain with an array of warning signs saying things like "No Entry", "Out Of Order", and "Danger". At one time the room behind those curtains was a big part of Freddy Fazbear's show- but now, it was just a storage area for old props… As well as one damaged animatronic.

Without hesitation the two began moving toward the curtains after their prey, but were stopped as a large brown hand held each back. Bonnie and Chica flinched before turning their heads to face the source, and were met by two glowing eyes shining through the darkness behind him. The owner of the eyes looked at each in-turn, before shaking its head. Once again the two looked at each other before reluctantly complying and slipping back into the shadows as well.

* * *

**In Pirate Cove…**

Foxy was still sitting amid her props, looking out into the hallway. It had been quite a while since the last time her curtains were open wide enough for her to look out of. Not that there was much to see- just the same checkerboard-style tiled floor and walls covered in posters and other Freddy Fazbear memorabilia.

What _was_ interesting, however, was the security camera mounted on the ceiling just outside of her curtains. The camera was currently drooped down, leading her to believe that it was out of use at the moment, but it was still easy to tell that it was meant to be aimed at Pirate Cove.

_But why?_ She thought as she studied the device, _I haven't been outside in years…_

She pondered this for a moment before a realization hit her- _Do they still think I'm dangerous? But I've never hurt anyone… _

She began to sniffle as tears began fogging her vision. Everyone still thought she was some sort of evil monster, when she really wasn't. She would never even dream of hurting a person… So why do they all assume she would?

She whimpered softly as she lowered her eyes back to the ground. Maybe it was best if the curtains stayed closed. That way no one would have to look at her ugly, damaged exterior anymore or be frightened by what was thought of her.

_Cling! Clang! Klunk! _

_Huh? what was that? _Foxy thought as she raised her head toward the sound.

_Ding! Clang! Klunk-Cling! _

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it sounded almost like something hitting metal repeatedly. She followed the sound with perked ears as it grew closer to her. Eventually it was close enough to where she could pinpoint its location, but when she looked up toward it she saw nothing but ceiling tile. It was only when the tile began to shake with each sound that she realized what was going on- something was in the vents!

Foxy silently rose from the box she was sitting on and backed away from the sound as she tried to figure out what it was. After a few seconds she gasped- Could it be?

Just then the ceiling tiles lurched and the sound stopped. Foxy watched the last spot of movement intently for what seemed like forever as she waited for something to happen. Finally, a loud _creak_ came from overhead, followed by a large square panel falling from the ceiling. However, more interesting was what fell with it-

"_Aaaaaaah!_" **Thud!**

Foxy flinched as something heavy connected with the ground, causing the floor to shake slightly. Then she looked over at where the object had fallen, her eyes shining to let her see better in the dark. Laying on the ground a few feet away from the vent tile was what appeared to be a person. They rested on their side motionless, but the rising and falling of their chest indicated that they had survived the fall. Feeling her curiosity rise, Foxy slowly walked over to the figure to get a better look.

He appeared to be a human male of Caucasian background. It was hard to tell his exact age, but from his features she gathered that he was most likely in his mid-twenties. He had a relatively light build, but still muscular from what she could see. This person who had literally fallen from the sky intrigued Foxy, so she cautiously pushed him over to where he was laying on his back. Then she studied him more closely.

Once he was there his features became more clear. He had medium-length dark brown hair that fell to about halfway down his neck, with some layered streaks of blonde mixed in. It was a little disheveled from his fall, but she could tell that it usually covered some of his right eye. The rest of his face was what would be considered by human standards as rather handsome, even though there was a large bruise on his forehead as well as a few cuts here and there. His outfit was composed of a black jacket over a dark blue t-shirt, as well as deep blue jeans which had a recent tear over the left knee.

_Hmm… Maybe they stopped giving uniforms to the night guards since they would always go missing,_ She thought. As she let her eyes wander up and down his body she could see that the night had been rough on him. He was obviously in bad shape and she wanted to help, but she didn't know exactly where all of his injuries were.

A blush suddenly crept onto her face as she got an idea. Crouching down beside him, she gently placed her good hand against his cheek and slowly ran it down his neck. She paused as he flinched and murmured slightly at the contact, but it didn't sound negative so she giggled and continued. Running her hand down his chest, she gasped as she felt a wet spot on his lower shirt. Gently lifting the fabric up, she could see an incision where blood was easily visible.

_Must be from when he fell,_ she thought before deciding that she would have to patch that up later. Then she moved even further down, running her fingers down his legs. Luckily there was nothing there, except a scrape on his knee where the pants had torn. Finally she made it down to his ankle and grimaced when she felt an unnatural bend in his foot's structure. Slipping his shoe and sock off, she could easily see how the ankle was fractured, as well as four imprints in the skin from where something had apparently grabbed ahold of his foot. Undoubtedly it was one of her fellow animatronics' work - maybe Chica since she had been chasing him earlier.

_Wow, he sure has been through a lot tonight, _she thought as she also took notice of the cuts lining each of his palms. _I'll let him rest here for a while. But first, he needs to be fixed up._

With a nod, Foxy stood up and began going through the props for anything that could assist her in this situation. Before long she had scrounged up some duct tape and paper from a few boxes, as well as a thin string and a pin. It wasn't much, but it was all she had so she got to work. First, she rubbed the paper in her hand until it was soft like some sort of fabric. She then proceeded to tape it over the cuts in his hands, hoping that he would disinfect him later. After that she fastened a splint out of some wood stripped from boxes and wrapped it around his ankle as gently as she could. Finally, all that was left was the gash on his stomach- the worst for last.

Tying the string around the pin, she took a breath before she began stitching the wound. While she did this, he would occasionally make a sound or writhe in discomfort, but surprisingly never woke up. Part of this was due to how she made sure to take her time and make it as painless as possible, as well as trying hard not to let her hook near the wound. After about an hour and a half, her work was done. Satisfied for the moment, she sat down beside him and simply watched as he slept. It was strange, but she didn't feel depressed with him here. She smiled, but couldn't help but worry about what he would think when he woke up.

* * *

Dustin awoke to feel that everything was sore. Actually, that was an understatement because, quite honestly, he felt like crap. He laid still for a moment as reality returned to him, reminding him of where he was and what had happened over the last few hours. His recent memory was foggy, but he could still remember bits and pieces of the night. Getting caught in the halls after 12. Running for his life as Chica chased him. Hearing Freddy and trying to get back to the office ASAP. Getting caught _again_ and running for his life _again_. Running through the vents after he escaped an animatronic's grasp. But then… ugh what happened? Oh yeah. Falling through the flipping ceiling.

_Well, I'm still alive so I guess the animatronics didn't find me. _He thought groggily as he sat up. _Wait… What's on my hands? _Looking down, he saw what appeared to be a pair of makeshift bandages covering his cuts. _That's… Odd. _That was when Dustin tried to stand up, wincing in anticipation of his ankle hurting. But to his surprise, the pain was much less than he had imagined.

"Huh?" He asked as he looked down and saw his ankle in some sort of makeshift splint. He also felt a sort of tugging sensation on his stomach, so he lifted up his shirt and was amazed at what he saw. On his skin was a large gash that he figured resulted from his fall. More interesting, however, was how a segment of fine string was laced between the cut, serving as a set of stitches.

Meanwhile, Foxy was watching him from behind a large crate as he inspected her work. As soon as she had heard him begin to stir she decided to hide, just in case he was somehow hostile. After all, she didn't know him at all- what if he panicked at the sight of her? After the night he's had, she couldn't blame him so she simply observed him as he came to.

Now that he was standing she could see that he was around 6 feet in height, give or take a few inches. That made them about the same size, with her maybe an inch or two taller. She took note of how fast he noticed everthing she had done- and that was when something unexpected happened. Rather than just accept the fact that he had been treated and move on, the guard began to look panicked as he began looking around the room with confusion in his eyes. He was obviously looking for whoever did this to him, leading Foxy to question whether she should stay hidden and let him leave, or step out and try introducing herself.

While Foxy disputed this, Dustin was looking around for any sign of who was here while he slept. He knew it couldn't have been the animatronics he saw earlier- after all, they had done nothing but harm him all night. The next thought he had was that maybe someone had somehow snuck in and taken refuge from the animatronics in this room, but the building was securely locked up. And besides, the animatronics surely would have caught someone between the front door and here…

Wait a minute, where is "here"?

Dustin observed his surrounding s and immediately realized where he was. It was a surprisingly large room, filled with props and boxes that were nearly invisible in the dark. The only light source at all was a dim purple that came from a skylight overhead, though the window was so dirty that hardly any moonlight shone through. The most notable feature of the area was a wooden pirate ship bow that rested against the back wall, large and iconic. There was no mistaking it- this was Pirate Cove.

… _Or at least what it used to be._ Dustin thought as he remembered how Pirate Cove was closed. Now it seemed as though this place was only here to house the abandoned props. Still, that didn't answer his question: who had been here while he was unconscious?

That was when a shuffling sound caught his attention, and he turned to face a large crate surrounded by other miscellaneous boxes and props. There was definitely something there… but what was it?

"… Hello?" He asked as he slowly walked forward, "Who's there?"

Foxy began to panic as he walked closer- she was running out of time. She had to make her choice now, or risk being discovered. _Well, this might be my only chance to talk to someone from outside the Cove… _She thought as the beam from his flashlight came nearer. _I have to at least try._

Taking a breath, she stood up from behind the crate and looked at Dustin, whose eyes widened in surprise. He suddenly froze as fright overcame him, and she knew that she had to say something to show that she was no danger to him. Stepping out from behind the box and waving with her hook hand unconsciously, she opened her mouth. However, what came out was the worst possible thing that could have happened.

"_**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**_"

As a response Dustin cried out in surprise. He didn't even let the shriek finish before he had turned and began bolting toward the purple curtains that enclosed the room. Foxy stepped forward and tried to tell him not to go, but all that came out was another technological screech. As he disappeared behind the curtains, running as fast as he could with a splint on his ankle, she lowered her hand in dismay. There was her chance… and there it went.

She walked over to the curtains, looking down the hall after him but he was already gone. With a sigh, she sat down and thought about what she had done for several moments, before looking up just in time to see the camera rise and become active. As a small red light flashed from the device, she ducked behind the curtain with a blush on her face. Maybe she had scared him away, but at least he was feeling better now.

* * *

Dustin was running as hard as he could through the halls toward the security office. The only thing slowing him down was the stiffness of his splinted ankle as he v-lined down the hall to his office door. Miraculously, he made it all the way to the room without so much as seeing another animatronic. Regardless, he shut both doors before collapsing in his seat, exhausted and terrified.

_What was that thing!? _Dustin thought as he caught his breath. It had happened so fast that he couldn't really remember any details… Just something standing up from behind the crate with two glowing eyes and a hook. Not only that, but it had screeched at him much like how the animatronics did. That's when it dawned on him.

"Was that… Foxy? So she's not scrapped?"

He thought back for a moment, but there was no mistaking it. The hook hand, the red coloration, the fact that she was in Pirate cove… That was definitely Foxy the Pirate Fox.

He shook his head before cycling through the cameras on the tablet, and was surprised to find that Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica were all already motionless on stage, despite it being an hour early. According to the tablet it was close to 5 a.m. now, meaning that he was knocked out in the Cove for at least an hour.

"So why didn't she kill me?" he thought aloud. Weren't all of the animatronics out for his blood? Then he looked down at his bandaged hands again. Nobody else was in the cove when he woke up, which means… Did Foxy..?

"No way…" Dustin said as he realized what had happened. But wasn't she supposed to be shut down? And why would she heal him only to attack him like that later? "…Unless she wasn't trying to attack me."

That's when it really hit him that an animatronic had actually helped him. Focusing on the cameras again, he cycled until he found the one he was looking for- the one installed right outside of Pirate Cove. Through it he could see that the curtains were slightly parted from earlier, but there was no sign of the animatronic fox from the entrance. Dustin sat back in his chair and scratched his chin as he replayed earlier and lost himself in thought. Maybe everything wasn't as it seemed after all.

* * *

**Whew, that was a long chapter. Close to 6K words right there, hope you guys liked it!**

***Now, here's my A/N for this chapter...*  
****Do you guys know what the hardest part about creating and OC is for me? Coming up with a name! I used 'Dustin' because I couldn't think of anything else to go with, which brings me to my next point: What should Dustin's last name be? Do you guys have any suggestions? If so, let me know, because he really needs one! **

**Please review if you feel up to it, because reviews are writing fuel!**

**Thanks you guys!**

**-Startersoverlegends **


	5. The Next Level

**Alright guys, here we are with chapter 5 of FNaF: Another Side! hope you guys like it!**

**By the way, with FNaF 3 out I'm curious about your guys' thoughts. This game is VERY different from the others, so I'm always curious to see what people think of Scott's latest creation.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

**Dustin's P.O.V.**

I stayed in my office with both doors closed until well past 6 o'clock. Since I hadn't been using any power last night I had plenty to spare, and by the time that the morning bells rang out I still had around 45% left. However, I didn't move when I heard the morning staff unlock the front door and begin their days- nor when the first guests began to arrive and the animatronic band started playing their songs. Through all of it I just sat in my chair and thought about last night. I came _so_ close to getting killed… Only to be saved by the very thing that I was afraid of.

That in itself brought up a whole list of questions that were now buzzing in my head: Why did it help me? Does that mean that not all of the animatronics are bloodthirsty killers? Why did the other animatronics go back to the show stage early? Should I come back again tomorrow night? What if I don't… Will I have enough money to get by?

I sighed and looked down at my wounds again. The bandages on my hands were now soaked red along the cuts, while the "stitches" on my stomach were still holding up surprisingly well- even though I knew it would have to be re-stitched properly as soon as possible. As for my ankle… Well, it wasn't the prettiest splint that the world has ever seen, but it was pretty effective in keeping my ankle in one spot, even if I was running on it.

"Thanks Foxy…" I whispered to the empty room as I stood up and gingerly crossed to the right door. Opening it, I took one last look into the security office before walking down the hallway toward the main entrance. On my way there I saw a set of restrooms and decided to go in and check on myself in the mirror. After all, I couldn't see my head so I might have a wound that I didn't even know about.

As I stepped into the restroom and looked into the mirror it immediately became clear to me that last night had taken its toll on my body. Aside from my hands, stomach, and ankle, there was a large blue bruise on my forehead beneath my hair, which was as messy as I had ever seen it as well as soaked in sweat and caked with dried blood.

"Oh man…" I crossed over to the sink and inspected the bruise more closely. _Must be from when I bashed my head against the floor running from Chica… _I thought with a grimace, _well, there's not much I can do about that, but I can try to fix my hair before going out in front of all of the customers._

I turned on the faucet to the sink and began wetting my hair. After a while the sweat and blood was gone and my hair fell the way it should, covering my right eye as well as most of the bruise. The only difference was that it was darker with wetness, leaving my hair dark black instead of my usual brown/dirty blonde mix. I then took a moment to inspect the rest of my face, which was mostly free of injuries.

At the moment my eyes were a bright hazel green, though I noticed that they were a little duller than usual… Probably because of the pain I was still in. Throughout my life many people have complimented me on my eyes, but I never understood why. Maybe because I saw them everyday I took them for granted- at least that was the feeling that everyone else gave me.

There were also small cuts on several parts of my face, causing me to sigh. As I stared at my reflection in the mirror it was hard not to wonder how I got myself into these situations all the time. Of course, this job easily trumped any other situation I had been put in when looking at the "nope" factor, but in reality my bad luck just never seemed to end.

Realizing that I was still staring into the bathroom mirror, I shook my head of the thought and turned to walk back out into the hallway. From there I made my way into the bustling entrance area. Families big and small were flocking into the building as children laughed and parents went off in search of open tables. I smiled to myself as I remembered feeling the same excitement as a kid that these children do now.

"Alright folks, welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza!" I heard a deep voice say from nearby.

"A fun place for everyone- even the grown-ups!" A much softer, feminine voice added on.

"Hey! Don't forget the pizza!" Another feminine voice chirpily said, followed by a round of laughter from children.

_Huh, they must have a show going on right now._ I thought to myself as I turned to look in the direction of the voices. Sure enough they were coming from the room where the show stage was located. I considered whether or not to peek in and watch it for myself, curious as to what the animatronics were like during the day. I looked from the main entrance to the building back to the show room before shrugging. It probably wasn't the best thing to do given what had happened the night before, but regardless I put my bandaged hands in my pockets and walked over to the large open entrance to the room.

With my injuries concealed I leaned against the wall next to the room's entrance and observed the three animatronic characters. Unlike the night prior all three were smiling joyfully with bright eyes as they stood on a large stage before the children.

Chica looked just as she had the night before, except for when she opened her mouth (or beak?) the second set of teeth was now gone. In the generous light of the stage her feathers were a bright yellow, while her beak and legs were both orange. She also had the same purple eyes as before, though now they were bright and full of life. I still thought that her form was a bit too voluptuous for this setting, as she had a very obvious hourglass figure. Still, the kids all seemed to love her so I shrugged it off.

I could now confirm that Bonnie was definitely a female. In the light you could easily see the long eyelashes over her emerald green eyes, as well as her curvy form. She also had a very soft feminine voice that sounded surprisingly lifelike. The bow tie at the base of her neck was a bright red that stood out from her purple fur. For the most part she looked the same as last night, with the exception of a large dent located on her left hand from when I hit her with the flashlight. Due to the dent some of her wires and endoskeleton were exposed. I also noticed that she had a cute little bunny tail that I had apparently missed the night prior, which went well with her huge bunny ears.

Next was Freddy… Who quite honestly terrified me. The large brown bear stood around 7 feet tall, _without_ his top hat. He had a giant robotic head atop of broad shoulders, and hands that were easily big enough to crush my skull in. He also had a ridiculously deep voice that I found a bit unsettling. All of this would have been nightmare fuel for me as a kid, though for some reason the children flocked to him. He let out a hardy laugh before continuing.

"Speaking of pizza, how would you children like to hear a song?" He asked with a raised brow. The children cheered causing the mechanic bear to chuckle and pick up his black microphone.

"Well, let's not keep them waiting then!" Bonnie said to Freddy as she picked up her cherry red Flying-V guitar and draped the strap over her shoulders.

"Alright guys, it's time for 'Cheesed to Meet You'!" Chica said excitedly as she got behind her keyboard. It was the same color as Bonnie's guitar, leading me to believe that the restaurant was trying to give their performance a theme.

Before long the band broke into song, playing a classic rock-styled track all about how great pizza was. The music was almost too catchy, and I regret saying that I found my foot tapping along to the beat. As they played I noticed that their movements were incredibly lifelike, and they seemed to be able to do anything that a human could without showing signs of being robotic. As much as I hate to say it, I had to admit I was impressed.

After a few minutes the band stopped playing with promises to continue their performance later, much to the children's dismay. It was then that a voice conveniently came over the building's intercom, stating that fresh pizza was now ready at the buffet. I instantly knew that this is why the animatronics stopped playing- they were programmed to stop at regular intervals so children could go and buy pizza. I thought it was a genius way for the restaurant to make money, as well as surprisingly effective judging by how quickly the children began to flock out of the room. Before long it was only me left in the show room- well, me and three evil animatronics.

The three never went still or powered down as you might expect of animatronic characters in-between shows. Instead they just stood on the stage, either seemingly focused on their respective instruments or looking around the room with what I guessed were their standard expressions. This went on, and for some reason I stayed in the room. Of course it was unsettling to be all alone with killer animatronics, but I found them interesting. Besides, I highly doubted they would do anything during the day, even if they physically could.

At one point Bonnie looked up from her guitar and began looking over the room, turning her head slowly almost as if to see if anyone was still here. It was when her gaze met mine that something interesting happened- her eyes widened in what was unmistakably surprise. For a moment after she just stared at me, unblinking, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. I held eye contact as well, until I dropped my eyes down to her damaged hand and back up to her face, an amused smile barely tugging at my lips. That's right, I was taunting an animatronic. But not without reason- I had to prove that I was a threat to them as well, even if only a minor one, and not just some item of prey.

She saw what I did and I could have sworn that her eyes narrowed a bit as she brought her damaged hand up and rubbed it with her good one. Again I pondered if she could feel pain- it definitely looked like it. She then looked over at the others, her eyes glowing faintly before Freddy and Chica noticeably flinched. Instantly they both looked at me, eyes wide like hers were. Chica's confused stare didn't bother me much; it was Freddy's that sent a shiver down my spine. The towering bear's surprised look quickly turned into a cold glare, his eyes flashing slightly as he stared me down. It was easily the most intimidating thing I had ever seen, but I had to trust that they wouldn't pull anything with other people in the next room.

I smirked as I stepped forward away from the wall and walked over to their stage, pausing as I looked up at each of them in-turn. Then I changed my smirk into a dangerous glare to match Freddy's as I stared right back into his blue eyes.

"That's right. I'm still alive."

I wasn't sure if they could understand me, but regardless I turned and began walking away, trying to move as naturally as possible to not show them my injury.

"**Alright Kid-dd, don't-t-t go anywhere.**"

I stopped in my tracks as fear rose within me. _W-what? There's no way…_ I slowly turned to see Freddy still staring at me, his head twitching uncontrollably while his mouth hung open to reveal a set of large blunt teeth. _He just… spoke!?_

That was when his glare turned into a venomous smile.

"**We're jus-s-st getting s-s-started.**"

It sounded like he was talking by merging his pre-set dialogues, the result being a glitchy, demonic-sounding growl. I couldn't help but shiver in fear as I turned and began quickly walking out of the room as a loud baritone laugh echoed from behind me.

* * *

I didn't talk to Mr. Fazbear on my way out; I was way too freaked out by my little "conversation" with Freddy. Instead, I made a v-line to my car and drove away from Freddy's as fast as I could. My car wasn't much- just a little black Toyota left to me by my parents after they passed away. It had good gas mileage so I could use it to go between my home and work, but I didn't have enough money to really go anywhere else. On my way back I stopped at a convenience store to pick up a wound-stitching kit for my gash, which effectively drained whatever money I had left on-hand. I sighed as I handed the cashier my last five dollar bill, knowing that I wouldn't be able to get a good meal until I got my paycheck in three more days.

Three more days. At Freddy _freaking_ Fazbear's. Still, I considered myself lucky that my car had close to a full tank of gas, meaning that I could hopefully finish my week without running out.

After an uneventful drive I arrived in the parking lot outside of the apartment complex that I lived in. I then parked my car before grabbing the stitching kit and heading toward my housing, which was far from luxurious. Basically it was a small room with a mattress next to a compact dresser, and T.V. sitting on a coffee table across the room. The adjoining room was a small bathroom with a shower, toilet, sink and mirror.

I unlocked my door and went in, tossing the stitching kit onto my mattress as I closed the door behind me. Then I picked an outfit out of my dresser and headed into the bathroom. After last night I needed a good shower. As I turned the faucet onto hot I stripped my clothes, leaving me with just my bandages and splint.

"I can probably leave my splint on," I thought aloud as I looked over the wood secured to my ankle, "But the bandages…"

I sighed as I grabbed the corner of one of the tape bandages. Then I took a few deep breaths before gritting my teeth and abruptly peeling the fabric off. I couldn't help but yelp in pain as I saw the wound for the first time in decent lighting. Then I moved onto the other, my hands already shaking. Repeating the cycle, I tore the tape off resulting in another sharp pain in my palms. I knew that they would have to be stitched up too… And I wasn't looking forward to it. One uncomfortable and hot shower later, I changed into a fresh set of jeans and a black t-shirt but left my jacket on. Then I headed into the other room and plopped down on the mattress. I picked up the stitching kit and hesitated- I _really_ didn't want to do this, but without it I was risking infection, which was even less appealing. I opened the kit and found stitches, a medical needle, and some disinfectant.

I sighed. Here we go.

* * *

I woke up groggily on my mattress and saw that it was dark outside my window. In a panic I reached for my phone and checked the time- 8:20 PM. I sighed in relief knowing that I still had a few hours before my shift started, then looked down and groaned. Beside me on the mattress was the open stitching kit, with about half of the stitches gone. I then looked at my hands. It wasn't pretty, but each cut had been disinfected and closed up before I apparently passed out. That's good.

Then I lifted up my shirt and gasped- not only was the gash on my stomach still open, but it had somehow started bleeding again after I removed the string that Foxy had used. In place of the bloody string were now about three stitches that hung from the wound. Apparently the pain had been too much for me to handle on my own.

"Damn it," I said as I got up and opened my dresser. After a few seconds of riffling I found and old t-shirt and covered the wound to prevent it from bleeding further.

_This isn't good,_ I thought as I began to nervously pace around the room, _I have to get this stitched, and quick._

I grimaced- I obviously couldn't stitch it myself, and I didn't know anybody else who could…

Or maybe I did.

* * *

**Third Person P.O.V.**

Dustin pulled up to Freddy's at 8:42 and paused to look up at the building. He really wasn't comfortable with returning so soon, but he needed serious medical attention if he didn't want to pass out from blood loss. Not to mention what would happen if he passed out while on the job, which would surely have fatal consequences. Shuddering at the thought, he turned his car off and got out before walking up to the building's front doors. Music and lights were still coming from inside since Freddy's didn't close until 10, but he was still cautious about the other animatronics- namely the restaurant's namesake. By talking earlier, even if only a little, Freddy had proved that he at least had the ability to think and communicate his thoughts. This, mixed with his message, had Dustin promptly on his toes while around the Pizzeria.

With a long exhale, Dustin made sure that the t-shirt keeping him from bleeding was still adjusted under his jacket before pushing open the doors and making his way into the building. Getting through admittance wasn't difficult since the entrance employees apparently had his picture, as well as a message from Mr. Fazbear himself telling all employees to let him in whenever he wanted. This made things more convenient, though the lengths that the restaurant's owner was going through for a night guard made Dustin a little nervous about his position.

As the young man made his way across the entrance hall, he froze as he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. The contact caused Dustin to jump in surprise- it didn't help that he was already on-edge and bleeding. Spinning around he saw none other than the man himself- Mr. Fazbear looking back at him with a smile.

"Ah Dustin!" The older man greeted after a chuckle, "I missed you this morning. I was actually looking forward to seeing my favorite security guard, where were you?"

"O-oh, that… well you see, I was kind of in a rush from work…"

"And why would that be?" Mr. Fazbear asked, "Had places to be boyo?"

"No sir, you see…" Dustin looked around before holding his jacket up, revealing the blood-stained shirt underneath. Mr. Fazbear's grin immediately vanished into a mixed look of confusion and concern. He too looked around, before dropping his voice while Dustin put his jacket back down.

"What happened?" he asked after making sure that no one had seen.

"It was an ordeal with my shift last night, sir. You see… The uh, animatronics-"

"Say no more." Mr. Fazbear said sternly, "This is no place… do you need me to call an ambulance?"

"Oh, no sir, I think I have it under control now." Dustin lied. He knew that he couldn't afford any real medical help- he only hoped that Foxy would be as hospitable as she was the night before.

Mr. Fazbear nodded. "I see. Well I'm sorry to hear about you getting hurt like that… Tell you what; I have to go talk to an electrician about the lights in Freddy's eyes… They've been acting up since this morning. How about you come see me in my office before closing, and we'll talk about it more there?"

A twinge of fear came over Dustin as he remembered Freddy's eyes flashing after he had talked to the animatronics this morning. He guessed that Freddy was still mad about before- either that or something was genuinely wrong. For his sake, Dustin hoped the later.

"Sound's good sir. I'm just going to stick around here until my shift if that's ok?"

"Fine by me!" Mr. Fazbear answered, his joyous attitude returning. "And help yourself to the pizza, you look like you could use a slice!"

"Thanks," Dustin answered as Mr. Fazbear turned and walked off, though he wasn't sure if he should be offended or not. _Oh well,_ Dustin thought once Mr. Fazbear was gone from sight, _Free pizza is free pizza. _

He then turned and continued making his way toward Pirate Cove, being careful not to look into the show room and further provoke the animatronics. One short walk later he was standing outside of the faded fabric that hid Pirate Cove from the rest of the restaurant. He hadn't noticed before now the arrangement of warning signs adorning the curtains- all of which were telling him that maybe taking Mr. Fazbear's offer for an ambulance would have been a wiser decision.

_No going back now…_ Dustin thought as he took a breath and pushed the curtains open before stepping inside. The light from the hall illuminated the large room a little better, though it was still very dim. Looking around, the young guard saw no sign of the animatronic from before- though he remembered her hiding behind a crate last night and assumed that she was doing it once again.

Taking a few steps even further into the room, Dustin began to slightly tremble. Even though she had helped him last night, who knew what she could do now? There was no telling, but the wet feeling of his own blood against his stomach was good enough motive to take the chance.

"Hello?" He asked, looking around the boxes.

What he didn't see was the mechanical Fox crouching in the shadows of the scattered stacks of boxes and rubble in front of him. She watched the night guard walk with interest on her face- after all, his shift hadn't even started yet. She noticed that he was still wearing her splint, and that he now had his hair covering the bruise from last night.

_That's good_, she thought as she looked him up and down. _He's looking better already_. She could also see his eyes for the first time through the darkness- they were a strange mix of gold and hazel, catching her attention.

He continued to walk further into the cove, looking around desperately for the fox. After a few moments with no reply and no sign of her, he stopped and sighed.

"Foxy? I know you're in here..."

A blush crept onto Foxy's face as he said her name. After all, it was the first time that she had been addressed like that in years. She considered stepping out but hesitated. She wanted to see what this was about.

"Look, about last night… Firstly, I wanted to thank you." Dustin said, lowering his head to look at the ground.

_He came back to thank me?_ Foxy thought as she tilted her head.

"…And also to apologize."

This caught her even more off-guard. What could he possibly be sorry for? She leaned out of the shadows a bit to hear his explanation, a blush still on her face.

"I…I shouldn't have run away like that. You helped me with my injuries even when you had nothing to gain, and I just ran away from you." Dustin sighed before continuing, "I feel terrible. I guess I was just scared and… I just want you to know that I'm grateful for what you did, and I'm glad that you're still here."

Foxy was speechless. Here, this person was actually _trying _to see her instead of ignore her like the rest of the world. Not only that, but they were thankful for her very existence. She was frozen in place for a moment as she processed this information, while Dustin waited for a reply. After a few moments of nothing but silence, he shook his head and turned to leave.

"Anyway… I just thought you should know. I'll go now."

Dustin began walking toward the part in the curtains, unsure of what to do now. He had said what he had wanted to say to her since last night, but was still bleeding out and needed help. Maybe she wanted nothing to do with him after he ran away like that- and he couldn't blame her. With each step the sense of dread inside of him was rising- then, right as he was reaching the curtains…

"W-wait!"

Dustin froze as he heard a soft voice from behind him. After pausing a moment in disbelief he slowly turned around to find exactly what he was looking for standing a few yards behind him. She stood at about his height, with a coat of rose red fur covering her body. She looked true to the animal she was based off of, complete with a long swaying tail and pointed ears, which were currently lowered as she looked at him shyly. Her eyes were a stunning golden color, piercing through the darkness to him as though she was looking right through him, a blush covering her rose red cheeks. She looked straight into his eyes before opening her mouth to speak again.

"I'm here."

* * *

**Hello? Hellooo? uh... Hey, chapter 5! I knew you could do it... Uh, so I'm running kinda low on reviews... If you don't mind, maybe leaving one for me to check? Good or bad, I just want to hear what you all think... Uh, yeah so just give some feedback... w- If you feel up to it, and I'll get back to you!**

**... Oh, and watch out for the puppe- **

**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**

**\- Phone Guy**

**(Not really.)**

**-Startersoverlegends**


	6. The Fox

**Hey guys, sorry for the wait. I could dish out a million excuses for the delayed release, but the truth is that I've just been busy haha. Anyway, I was up until around 1 in the morning working on this chapter as well as the next, so another update is on its way soon. I also want to apologize to any of you who randomly lost your follows or favorites for this fic- It was nothing more than a technical mistake on my part that won't be happening again.**

***Just a quick warning- this chapter is kind of short. Not nearly my shortest but not as substantial as I want to start making my updates. Regardless, it's an important part of the story's development so please Fazbear with me and many more lengthy chapters will soon come.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Dustin stared at Foxy in shock as she stood before him. Not only had she revealed herself, but she had talked to him. Literally _talked_. Even more interesting was how her voice sounded completely normal- that was, aside from a slight twinge of rasp from disuse. Still, it was nothing like how Freddy had sounded earlier that day. Instead of a mechanical drawl her voice was soft and natural sounding.

He also found that she, like Bonnie and Chica, had a noticeably curvy figure to emphasize that she was a female. Though despite this he could tell that she was in disrepair, judging by how her jaw slightly hung open and her joints softly creaked with each movement. The only other difference was that she wasn't wearing the cargo vest that she had donned when he was a kid, and instead was only covered by her tarp pants and fur. However, she still had her eye patch (which was currently flipped up so that both of her eyes were showing), as well as her signature hook.

"F-Foxy?" He asked as he observed her, taking a cautious step closer. "You can… talk?"

To his surprise, she actually giggled a little at his statement. She found his confusion and shock rather amusing, even though she herself was surprised that her voice hadn't had a malfunction yet.

"Yes, I c-can." She answered slowly as she shyly looked down, not used to someone paying her this much attention. Dustin noticed this and realized that he had been staring at her, so he mentally scolded himself as to not to make her feel uncomfortable. Even as he thought this he realized that it really should be the other way around, with the somehow sentient animatronic making _him_ nervous rather than him having that effect on her.

"Sorry if I seem surprised, it's just that… You know-"

"-You expected m-me to sound like this?" She asked with a slight smirk as her body shuddered. Her eyepatch then proceeded to flip down over her right eye as she raised her hook in the air and allowed her jaw to hang open as a crackly, static-laced voice arose from her throat.

"_Yer, so ye landlubber discovered ol' Foxy's dwellin'? I ought ta make ye walk the plank, arrr!_"

The voice that came out was much louder and more outward than her previous, and Dustin couldn't help but chuckle as she swung her hook around proudly, pulling off a perfect pirate impression as if she were still on stage before dozens of adoring children.

"Well… Yeah." He answered with a smile as her eye patch rose back into place.

"T-that was my preset behavior's voice… Y-y-you know, for-r shows." She said as she once more adapted her shy demeanor, "All of th-the animatronics have them."

"Wow… I never knew that." Dustin said as he gave her an impressed look. "So this is your natural voice then?"

She nodded in response, and a moment of silence followed before Dustin realized something.

"So wait…" He started slowly, "If you could talk then why did you screech at me like that yesterday?"

"I'm sorry," She said as she gave him an apologetic look, "I-I only meant to introduce m-myself, but my v-v-voice is_**sssSCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**_!"

Without warning a deafening screech tore from her mouth. Dustin held his hands over his ears to dull the ear-splitting noise while Foxy quickly covered her mouth with her hand and hook, her eyes wide in shock and horror. After the noise had gone Dustin shook his head, his ears ringing as the sound still echoed in the room around them.

"I-I'm so sorry…" She whispered through her claws as her eyes began to water.

"No, no… It's fine." Dustin said reassuringly, "You can't help it right?"

She shook her head. "I th-th-think it's something inside m-my voice box… It's damaged and I never-r got it replaced…" She was barely talking above a whisper as spoke, afraid that talking any louder would trigger another malfunction.

It was then that he realized that her vocal stuttering wasn't due to nervousness- well at least not all of it. Instead it seemed to be some sort of catch in her vocal capabilities, like when a record scratches and loops certain segments of audio. As for the screeching, he wasn't entirely sure of the cause. So far the trend seemed to be that she made the sound when her vocal volume rose past a certain level, though he also noticed that it sounded nothing like either of her functioning voices. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the sound seemed pained… and somewhat familiar. He decided to save that mystery for later, and instead turned back to her stuttering and lack of control over her voice.

"But the other animatronics sound fine…" He thought aloud as he scratched his chin, "So why would you have this problem and not them?"

When Dustin looked up he found her staring at the ground with a somber expression. There was a slight pause before she answered.

"I'm not on d-d-display anymore, so Mr. Fazbear didn't bother to fix m-my… issues."

Dustin shook his head in distaste. It was really messed up to leave something like Foxy locked away from the rest of the world. As far as he could tell she was perfectly fine with the exception of a few technical problems, and still seemed like a phenomenal performer.

_Something must have happened with her,_ Dustin thought to himself, _And it had to have been pretty bad for Mr. Fazbear to just leave her to rot like this._

He knew that something had to be going on, something about her that he didn't know. But now wasn't really a good time for him to ask her a question about her past, especially since he had just met her. Animatronic or not, talking about something that personal was tough on anyone. Dustin made a mental note to find out about it later.

After a few moments of silence between the two, Foxy spoke again.

"C-can I ask your name..?" She asked quietly as her blush returned.

"Uh- oh yeah, of course." He answered as he was shaken from his thoughts, "I'm Dustin. Dustin Juniper."

Out of habit he held out his hand for her to shake, and was surprised to find that her hand put off heat similar to how a person's would.

_Maybe I don't know as much about these things as I thought… _He thought. _After all, she seems to act just like a human being._

"And I'm F-Foxy… But you already knew t-that." She said softly as their handshake ended. "Anyway, thank you Dustin."

"For what? _I'm_ the one that should be thanking you after what you did last night." He answered with a chuckle.

"Well," She started as she put her hand (and hook) behind her back and looked away from him, "It's j-just that… I-I **ssss**_**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEE!**_"

"Gah!"

Dustin covered his ears again, but stopped when he saw the same horrified look on her face as before.

"Foxy?" He asked as he rubbed his head to ease the ringing in his ears, "It's ok. Everything's fine."

But this time she didn't seem as assured by his words as before. Instead of answering him she backed away by several steps and shuddered as tears began to accumulate around her eyes. Then she turned away from him and collapsed into a crouch, sobbing quietly to herself. Dustin wasn't at all sure what had just happened, but repeated her name in hopes of a response.

"…Foxy?"

He heard her sniff as she turned to look at him over her shoulder, a tear streak down her furry cheek. She then turned back away, too embarrassed to even look up at him.

Dustin didn't know if he was more concerned about Foxy or confused- she was crying? But how? It was quite obvious by now that at least _this _animatronic could specifically express emotions just like a normal human could. She had proved this several times since their conversation had started and it made almost no sense to him, but again he decided that now wasn't the time to ask questions. Instead he frowned to himself at seeing her distress before walking over to the crouched fox. She looked like she could use some support right about now.

_Why does this keep happening to me?_ Foxy thought as she sniffed again, looking at the ground. _I can't even talk without hurting others. What's wrong with me..?_

She continued to sulk until she felt something soft touch her shoulder. She flinched against the contact at first before looking back at Dustin, who was now crouched beside her with his arm around her shoulders for comfort. Now she couldn't help but look at him, and was surprised to find that his eyes now seemed to be more of an aqua color than the gold/green that they were before.

Meanwhile, Dustin looked into her face and was amazed. Her golden eyes seemed to be more than just sensors or cameras- up close he could see actual life behind them. The way that tears laced throughout her eyelashes and her pupils dilated in different lighting proved it. He didn't know how any of this was possible, but had to accept that she could actually see and feel. But there was something more… Within her eyes was… something that was familiar to him. It was like a dying light deep within her pupils, a flame that was barely flickering. He had seen this look before- it was the look of a broken person. He didn't know what she had been through in the many years she had been inside the walls of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, but whatever it was it had taken its toll on her emotionally and it was obvious that nobody was here to help her through it. This both enraged and disappointed him- after all, despite what had happened in her past she was still the same Foxy that had entertained thousands of children back when he was a kid, including him. How could they just lock her up and ignore her after all she had done for them? That's when he made a decision.

"Look… It will be ok. I promise." He said, his voice more gentle than at any other point during the conversation.

Foxy stared at him for a moment before sniffing and slowly nodding. He smiled back, causing her to look away shyly, a small smile tugging at her lips as well until a sound caught her attention.

_Dink!_

Foxy looked down toward the source of the noise and gasped when she saw a spot of dark blood on the ground beneath Dustin, followed soon by another.

"Y-you're… Bleeding!" She said softly as she wiped her tears away and looked at him with concern.

"Yeah, that's the other thing…" He started with a sheepish chuckle, "I tried to stitch myself up after I got home this morning but couldn't finish it… Please, I need your help Foxy."

He pulled the stitching kit out of his jacket pocket and showed her, which she took without hesitation before instructing him to lay down on his back. Once he had she lifted up his shirt, exposing his skin up to his chest. The wound was once again open like it was the night before, though now the risk of infection was much higher. Knowing there was no time to waste, she pulled the disinfectant out of the kit and looked at him in the eyes.

"This might hurt…"

"I know. It's alright." He answered, smiling softly even though he was secretly dreading the pain.

Foxy nodded before gently spraying the disinfectant into the wound, causing Dustin to hiss as the burning sensation spread throughout his abdomen. She paused to let him recover, and after a few minutes he motioned for her to continue. Once the medicine was applied, she pulled out the needle and prepared it to bind the wound. Dustin grimaced as he anticipated the sharp object repeatedly entering his skin, but was pleasantly surprised when all that he felt was barely more than a pinch. Looking up at Foxy, he saw a look of total concentration on her face as she carefully laced the gash. Her hands bound the wound in soft yet precise movements, and once again Dustin was amazed at how fluid the animatronics' actions were. It was easy to see that she was trying to make this as painless as possible for him- something that he really appreciated.

"Wow… You're really good at this." He said after a few minutes.

In response she only smiled, her cheeks reddening slightly. He would have talked more, but he knew that she struggled with speech and didn't want to make her feel bad again. He frowned as he remembered what she said about Mr. Fazbear never repairing her properly. It was terrible to leave her here in such a condition... That's when Dustin got an idea.

_Maybe Mr. Fazbear still has something to fix her voice box. After this I'll go ask him… After all, he said he wanted to see me later._

The remainder of the procedure went quietly, though it was never awkward or uncomfortable in any way. Foxy just kept her focus on the wound, while Dustin looked around the cove with mild interest. Finally, after about 15 minutes of silence, Foxy cut the stitches from the needle and set the tool back into the box.

"Wow, done already?" Dustin asked in surprise, given the size of the gash.

Foxy softly smiled and nodded at him before standing up and inspecting her work. After she was content with the stitching he made to stand up, but paused when he saw the concerned look on her face.

"Don't worry- I'll be careful." Dustin said with a chuckle as he slowly rose to his feet, gently holding the gash with his free hand. "Hey… It already feels better!"

Foxy giggled to herself as she watched him test the stitching with amusement. Then he remembered something and his expression became more serious.

"Thanks again Foxy… Who knows what would have happened without you here to help me."

"You're welcome." She answered slowly as to keep her voice from malfunctioning. "It was nice… to help someone again."

Dustin smiled sadly as a ping of sympathy and guilt hit him.

"Well… you did a great job."

Foxy smiled and after a moment of silence Dustin turned toward the curtains. "Sorry to heal and run, but Mr. Fazbear wanted to talk to me before my shift started and I really don't want to keep him waiting."

She nodded in understanding, but he could see the sorrow return to her eyes. Was it because he was leaving? Or was it the mention of Mr. Fazbear, who had abandoned her all that time ago? Maybe both? Regardless, he paused and gave her a smile.

"See you later Foxy."

"Bye Dustin."

He nodded and turned completely before walking out of Pirate Cove through the golden crack in the curtains. Once he was outside he stopped and blew out through his cheeks, still amazed by all that had just occurred. He took a moment to replay everything that had just happened in his head before a voice echoed through the hall from the building's PA system.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Freddy Fazbear's will be closing in 10 minutes. At this time please gather your possessions and head toward the entrance. We trust that you have had a magical experience with us today, and look forward to seeing you again soon."

_10 minutes huh?_ Dustin thought. _That means it's 9:50 now. Plenty of time to go talk to Mr. Fazbear._

Head filled with questions, Dustin began to walk through the empty hall toward his boss's office.

* * *

**Thank you guys so much for your reviews left in my absence! I read and took to heart every one of them, but now that I'm back I would really appreciate some more of your guys' thoughts. If you have a moment, please leave me a review and tell me what you think. :)**

**Dang, game 4 is already confirmed? I mean, I know that this one is further away, but still, Scott never leaves us waiting long huh? Not that I'm complaining XD but between that and the FNaF movie this ought to be an interesting ride for us fans.**

**Alright, well I've gone on long enough. I hope you all enjoyed, and thanks for reading!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	7. The Past

**\- There is now a poll regarding this story open on my profile page. If you have the time, please participate so I can make this story better for you as a reader-**

**Well, as promised here is a long chapter for you guys. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed to this point, your support means a ton!**

***This chapter is mostly dialogue and backstory, but a lot of it will be important in the plot's development, as well as the relationships between characters in the future. I also meant to clarify some aspects of my story, so hopefully this helps.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The walk to Mr. Fazbear's office was fairly uneventful. By this time of night most of the families had left the restaurant, though there was one party still wrapping up in the show room. On my way by the doorway I had cast a sideways look inside- though now I regretted it. As though their eyes had never strayed from the door since I left earlier that day, all three of the performing animatronics were staring at me as I passed, their eyes unwavering and unforgiving. Panic began to fill my chest as I remembered that in just a few hours I would be locked in the building with them until the next morning. I wasn't one for playing the fearless hero and had no delusions about what would become of me if I slipped up. The thought caused me to furrow my brow as I created, tested, and dismissed several possible survival strategies in my head. Before I knew it I had reached Mr. Fazbear's office, still without a good plan that would likely leave me in one piece. I knocked on the door twice to signify my arrival.

"Mr. Fazbear? It's Dustin."

For a moment the only answer was the rustling of paper and a low mumbling before I heard the man's voice.

"Come in,"

I reached for the knob, pausing only to ensure my stitches were doing their job, before turning it and letting myself inside. Mr. Fazbear was seated at his desk as usual, though I noticed that his desktop was covered in even more unorganized paperwork than normal. He was obviously very busy at the moment, but immediately put his work aside to politely smile at me as I entered the room.

"Please, take a seat." He said as he gestured to an open chair on the opposite side of the desk to him. I quickly accepted and closed the door behind me before seating myself. A moment of silence passed as Mr. Fazbear lowered his gaze to the paperwork on his desk, obviously thinking of the best way to initiate the conversation. In the end I did it for him.

"You seem busy tonight sir; I hope I'm not interrupting too much."

"Ah, nonsense!" He replied with a light chuckle. "It's unfortunate to have a conversation under these… circumstances, but I rather enjoy your company. Besides, too much work without a break doesn't do anyone much good."

I nodded in agreement before he continued.

"So, about last night… You seem to have experienced a little bit of… _trouble_ during your shift?"

I bit back several remarks regarding how oblivious he acted when referring to the happenings in his own restaurant. He knew exactly what had caused my condition, and yet he addressed it as though it were nothing more than an everyday accident- I shuddered at the realization that maybe in this situation that was actually the case. Regardless, I was ready to cut the crap.

"Yes, your robots-"

"-_Animatronics_,"

"Once again tried to kill me-"

"-_Experienced glitches_,"

"By shoving me into another robot's suit."

He sighed and rubbed his head in defeat. Under his breath I thought I heard him mumble another '_Animatronics_', and I couldn't help but smirk. My point was taken.

"Alright Dustin, I can see that you're not too fond of the animatronics. It's understandable given the circumstances. However, this will be your third shift working as a night guard here, which is nearly unheard of. In fact, only two other guards come to mind who have lasted longer than you- one in 1987, and the other at the last location. Of course, after about a week both were either fired or… discharged."

I snorted sarcastically at the last word's implications, though it was louder than I had intended and Mr. Fazbear cut a sharp look at me. I gave him a sub-apologetic look before he continued.

"The point is, you possess and maintain the same qualities that allowed them to serve the company for as long as they had, which makes your employment here worth that much more to me as the restaurant's owner. As a bonus, you take interest in finding other solutions to safely watch over the building, meaning that you could very possibly secure a permanent position as a night watchman here-"

"Woah woah woah, '_Permant position_'?" I said, cutting him off. "We've had this talk before, remember? I thought I made it clear that I'm not staying here for long. I know that to you it must seem like I'm doing really well, but the truth is that I can't keep this up forever."

I paused to lift up my shirt and expose the recently mended gash on my abdomen for emphasis, watching Mr. Fazbear cringe slightly at the sight. Then I lowered my shirt back into place and continued.

"Your 'entertainers' are really trying to kill me, and don't sell me that BS about them having glitchy coding. They want me _dead_. I've seen it in their behavior, in their eyes."

As I said this I couldn't help but think about my exchange with Freddy this morning. Those weren't just the cold eyes of a machine- there was sincere hatred behind his glare.

Mr. Fazbear looked taken aback by my outburst at first, but after I had finished ranting he let a moment pass in which he was obviously contemplating something. After a lingering silence he sighed before speaking again.

"Look… I really need a good guard." He said suddenly, his voice unlike I had ever heard it before. Instead of his usual energetic or understanding tone he now sounded somber and serious. It caught my attention, so I leaned back and let him explain.

"You see… After so many years of going through guards we have accumulated some substantial debt. Families are suing… Detectives are snooping around… It all adds up. However, very few bodies have been found and proof of foul play associated with the company is even sparser. Nobody knows exactly why any of this happens, not even me."

He leaned forward, looking me dead in the eyes.

"This place is cursed. Not just the building, but the whole damn company. Ever since the first location it's been nothing but bad luck and mystery. There are several theories that surround Freddy's, but luckily due to the lack of evidence I've been able to dismiss it all as an urban legend. That's the only way I've been able to keep Fazbear Entertainment alive Dustin. But just like you, I can't keep it up forever. If I can get a guard- just one, single guard- to stay here without quitting or disappearing, then I can establish proof that nothing unusual is happening and finally get this place back on track. I'll be able to start paying off all the debt that has built up over the years- it will be just like a fresh start. That's why the company needs you… that's why _I _need you. _You_ can be the guard that turns things around."

I sighed but shook my head. At least now he was openly admitting that something was wrong with this place and the animatronics, but somehow that didn't make me feel any better about staying. It also sounded like the company was in a real sink-or-swim situation despite how well it appeared to be doing from the outside, but why did _I_ have to be the one throwing the stone or life raft? As I thought about this Mr. Fazbear spoke up again.

"Please Dustin… I know you don't want to stay, but at least try to. If not for me or the company, then for the children."

It was a low plea and I knew it. But I also knew that he hit me right where it counted- my childhood love of Freddy Fazbear's. I remembered how torn up I was when the first Freddy's closed, and couldn't even imagine how I would have felt if I had seen it permanently brought down by bankruptcy and superstition. Then another thought hit me- if this place closed then what would become of Foxy? Would her sorrowful existence end without her ever receiving a second chance?

At the moment I wanted to scream the conflict away. My fear and pain was clashing with responsibility and guilt, and not to mention the lingering issue that was my finances. Sure, I could hunt for another job but what if I couldn't find one? It was more stress then I was prepared for, and with all of this information weighing down on me I felt like breaking under the pressure.

But I didn't.

"And what if I stayed?"

Mr. Fazbear quickly looked up at me, his eyes filled with a renowned gleam of hope. At the same time I realized what I had said and knew that there was no going back now. I was one part filled with relief at making an ethical choice, and one part filled with self-hatred for even entertaining the idea of working here much longer.

"Well… On a temporary level you would receive a substantial increase in this week's paycheck, given your injuries. As for a prolonged arrangement, what did you have in mind?"

Hush money? Or did he really feel bad for what had happened? Either way, some extra cash never hurt. Then I thought about his question. What _did_ I want?

"Some answers would be nice." I replied. "Oh, and a small favor."

Mr. Fazbear paused, and I noticed his eyes shift nervously. He was still hiding something; there was no doubt about it. Hopefully by the end of this I would know what it was.

"Answers? Well, of course some questions I am bound by contract not to answer, but I will try to-"

"No, you're not going to pull that crap now." I said sternly as I crossed my arms. "If you want me to stay then just be honest with me."

He licked his lips nervously, though it was a very small flick of movement. I could tell that this man was well trained in controlling his emotions and keeping a cool head, which meant that I would have to look that much harder to uncover a lie. After a pause he nodded slowly.

"Ok, what questions can I answer for you?"

"Firstly, why exactly did the previous restaurants close? I've heard of all the news stories and cover-ups, but I need to hear it from you."

Mr. Fazbear relaxed a bit in his posture before answering.

"So you want to know the history of Freddy Fazbear's?"

I nodded. "I've always known some of the past here, but there are a lot of blanks that I've never been able to fill in."

He gave me an appraising look before proceeding to look down at his desk as though he was pulling old memories back into the focus of his mind. Then he hummed quietly as if confirming them to himself.

"Very well, I guess we'll start from the beginning and work our way up. It wouldn't hurt to get comfortable… this isn't a simple run-through of random dates."

I couldn't help but notice that Mr. Fazbear looked much older suddenly, his eyes weary and every line in his face more prominent. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"The first 'location' actually wasn't under the management of Fazbear Entertainment. Instead it was owned by a small family, and at the time they only had two animatronics- a different type than is used currently. These models doubled as mascot outfits, but they were cheaply made and the spring lock mechanisms that allowed their dual-purpose qualities were dreadfully unsafe. At the time I believe they called the place "Fredbear's Family Diner". Anyway, a bad incident took place there. A kid- couldn't have been seven years old- was found murdered outside the restaurant, and the press had a field day with the place. Ran them straight into bankruptcy. Fazbear Entertainment saw an opportunity to make some money, and so they purchased the building and all of its assets."

I shook my head in distaste- what kind of terrible person would kill a child for no reason at all? It was a horrible act, and at a family-friendly place like that I could understand how the bad publicity could ruin them financially.

"Did they ever catch the killer?" I asked hopefully.

Mr. Fazbear cleared his throat quietly as he shifted his gaze downward.

"No… Despite the murder taking place in public, in broad daylight, they never got the guy."

I shook my head again but asked him to continue onto the other restaurants.

"The next location was the first real "Freddy Fazbear's". The company had invested a large chunk of money into new animatronics, though they also kept the two spring lock models. You probably already know who the new animatronics were- Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy… though the characters were much more blocky and unrealistic than they are currently. At the time they were also prototyping a new animatronic whose job was to award gifts to the children. They crafted it from a doll costume found at the Family Diner, but the thing was always acting strangely and they couldn't unveil it to the public until the next location was opened, after they discovered a method to keep it stable. Strangely enough the only way to keep it contained was by playing music to it…"

"The Puppet?" I asked, connecting the dots from the description given and the strange animatronic from my memory.

Mr. Fazbear nodded. "Yeah… That was the first animatronic to display unusual behavior. It seemed fine with kids, but when an adult would approach it would just… stare. Like it was assessing them or something. It was also known to short out often and even managed to roam freely about the restaurant at night on rare occasions, despite its coding. "

"Is that why they always had that music box around it once it was introduced to the public? To keep it under control?" I asked.

"Exactly." Mr. Fazbear slightly paused, looking as though he wanted to say more, but instead resumed his explanation of the second restaurant.

"Anyway, the company also built a larger building to house the Pizzeria's operations. The result was incredible- families were coming from all over the country to see these animatronics. Within just months the place had nearly paid for itself. Though, despite the good financial position the company was in, they continued use of the two original animatronic suits even though they were clearly unsafe. Several accidents involving employee injury and mutilation occurred before the company finally just stowed the two suits in the backroom and put a "Do Not Touch" sign on the door."

"So why did they close?" I asked.

Mr. Fazbear looked slowly around the room before he took a breath and leaned in toward me, his voice low and soft when he spoke.

"Have you ever heard of the Missing Children Incident, kid?" He asked, his eyes fixed on mine.

"Not really… I mean, it sounds vaguely familiar. What is it?"

"Well, the company more or less has it covered up by now, which is why not many people know about it anymore. Basically, it was another murder just like at Fredbear's Diner. This time though, there were more victims. Five of them."

"What!?" I asked, completely forgetting our low talking volume as this terrible piece of information was revealed to me.

"Shhh!" Mr. Fazbear warned, looking around nervously again. I realized how loud my reaction was and quickly apologized in a whisper. Mr. Fazbear took a moment to listen for anyone outside, but when he was met with nothing but silence he continued.

"Five victims. All under the age of ten." He grimaced. "It was horrible. But strangely enough, no bodies were found. That was, until customers began complaining about the animatronics having an odor. A mechanic was sent in to check it out, and what he found was… well…"

He let his sentence hang there, and after a moment it hit me. I suddenly felt very nauseous, my head spinning and stomach feeling exceptionally light. For several seconds I had to fight not to throw up at the thought. All the while Mr. Fazbear patiently waited for me to recover.

"H-he..? The kids..?" I asked as I returned to my senses. In response Mr. Fazbear only nodded gravely.

"Yes. All five of them."

"But wait…" I started as a realization hit me. "You said there were five kids… but there are only four animatronics. What happened to the fifth child?"

"It's not known for sure." He answered as he rubbed the back of his neck, averting his eyes. "They never found that one."

I swallowed but nodded for him to continue.

"It was a terrible blow to the company. People just about stopped coming altogether. And so they closed down, keeping the animatronics in hopes of reopening later on. And they did. Surely you're old enough that you remember the second location?"

"Yeah… It was nothing like the other one." I answered with a bit of my childhood disappointment carrying over into my tone.

"No, it wasn't." Mr. Fazbear agreed. "The public opinion left over from the previous location was atrocious, and so the company decided to go in a whole different direction. The old animatronics were scrapped and kept in the Parts and Service room at the new building, while a whole new line of animatronics ran the place. Fazbear Entertainment really went all out on these new models- each was deemed super child-friendly and were even tied into a criminal database to prevent another Missing Children Incident from taking place. And for the most part it worked. But… History repeats itself."

"What do you mean? Somebody _still _managed to get away with it?" I asked in disbelief and horror.

"Well, not so much "got away" with it. They got the guy this time."

I began to relax at the thought of this crazed killer finally being brought to justice, but paused when I saw the look in Mr. Fazbear's eyes. He was looking around the room again rather than at me, but there was something else. He looked guilty. It was only visible on his face for a split second before he regained himself, but it was there nonetheless. He was lying.

"They got him?" I asked, fishing for another sign of untruth. "So no more children were killed then?"

"Correct." He answered, but his voice wavered ever so slightly. Something was off, and for some reason he wasn't going to tell me what had really happened. I thought about the possibilities before he cleared his throat.

"There was also a mishap with one of the animatronics. It was in disrepair due to rough treatment from the children, and during the restaurant's final week it went off the deep end."

"What do you mean?" I wasn't sure how much worse this chronology could get, but I was curious nonetheless.

"Well, in an event that became known as the Bite of '87 the animatronic began to spaz uncontrollably, finally shorting out after so much abuse. It then proceeded to lunge upward and attack a staff member who had just been transferred from the night shift. It was the man's first shift as a day watchman."

"Talk about bad luck…" I said under my breath. Mr. Fazbear let out a little chuff but shook his head.

"Seems like it right?" He asked. "But the witnesses all report the same thing: the animatronic seemed to target that staff member specifically. It didn't pay any of the children, parents, or even his fellow workers any mind. Even after the damage was done it clung to him before deactivating for good, seemingly on its own."

I nodded. I hadn't listened to my employee assistance phone call the previous night, but the recorded message I had listened to on my first shift had made a reference to the Bite. Something about how a human body could survive without the frontal lobe. The thought made me shiver in horror and discomfort.

"So is that why that location closed?" I asked.

"Yep. Between the second wave of missing children and the Bite the company once again had to shut their doors. I was just becoming a higher-up at Fazbear Entertainment when it happened, and believe me when I tell you that heads were rolling over what had become of this "New Face" of Freddy Fazbear's. Nobody thought there was any hope left for the company and a lot of people jumped ship… But just then a miracle happened."

"A miracle?"

"To be more specific, a random donation for over a million dollars."

I nearly choked on my own spit.

"_A million!?_ But who would possibly give Fazbear Entertainment that much money?"

He shrugged. "The working theory is that it was someone who had been a big fan of the company before coming into wealth and deciding to help out. Whoever they were, and whatever their motive, they saved Freddy's. I was one of the only people at the company who had remained loyal throughout all of the trials, so I was promoted to personally managing all future Freddy Fazbear establishments."

"Oh ok." I nodded in understanding then paused to process all of this information. Even though I had come for answers and found what I was looking for, it was all a bit overwhelming to take at once. This place was literally surrounded with death and unexplainable occurrences, each of them seemingly more ridiculous and grotesque than the previous.

For the first time since the conversation started Mr. Fazbear smiled at me, though now it seemed more sad and sympathetic than anything.

"They gave me most of the money with the lone requirement to make another restaurant. Believe it or not, a million bucks doesn't get you as much as you might think… I ended up moving the restaurant back to the building used for the first Freddy Fazbear's. The place was a dump after being abandoned for so long, but I did the best with what I had. I also patched up and upgraded the four original animatronics, as well as fully repairing three of them. They even let me keep one of the spring lock animatronics that was left in the backroom- though the other one mysteriously disappeared. Anyway, the remaining suit was worn to hell and completely useless. I ended up stowing it in storage."

"What about the Toy animatronics?" I asked. Mr. Fazbear sighed.

"The company couldn't cover up the Bite in time to keep the media oblivious, and soon enough the whole Midwest knew all about how one of the new "safe" animatronics had brutally ripped a watchman's brain out. The publicity was so negative that the company had to completely do away with the Toy animatronics to save even a shred of their own name."

"Makes sense." I said after thinking it over for a moment. "And nobody would come near the place if they had kept the new models anyway."

"Right. Anyway, altogether my work on the original animatronics and the building did well enough to get the company back on its feet. Before long we were able to move out of that location and build a bigger Freddy's, which is where we still operate to this day."

I hummed thoughtfully as I added all of this information to the rest of my recently gained knowledge.

"So, let me see if I have this straight: the first restaurant was owned by a small family, and only had two animatronics. They doubled as costumes, but were unsafe. The family went bankrupt after a child was murdered outside of their building. Right?"

"That's correct." Mr. Fazbear answered.

"Fazbear Entertainment bought the animatronics and put them in a restaurant along with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, but were also working on another animatronic that couldn't be shown to the public yet because of its behavior?"

"The Marionette, yes."

"Ok. So then somebody managed to murder five children inside of Freddy's, and got away with it. Eventually four of the bodies were found inside of the animatronics, which caused the place to be closed down."

"Mm-hmm."

"That's _sick_." I said distastefully under my breath, but still loud enough that he could hear. Then I continued.

"Fazbear Entertainment then developed a new line of animatronics- the Toy models - in hopes of regaining the public's favor at the new restaurant. However, another killing took place but this time the killer was caught."

"Yes."

I still wasn't buying it. I cocked an eyebrow but moved onto the next bit of Freddy Fazbear's history.

"Anyway, everything was going downhill when a damaged animatronic bit a staff member, removing his frontal lobe. The event was so bad that the company had to get rid of the Toy models. Around this time you were put in charge of running Freddy's while the corporate branch took care of things like finances and regulations."

"More or less." He answered.

"With the help of a random donation you were able to move back to the building that housed the first Freddy's and patch up the four original animatronics. You also got to hold onto one of the ancient spring lock suits, but the other had gone missing. After a while you had made enough money to build a new location and completely fix three of the four active animatronics. The result is where we are now?"

"Bingo." Mr. Fazbear said. I watched him pull a handkerchief out of his pocket and wipe his face with it. I cut a look at a clock on the wall and saw that it was now nearing 11 o'clock. It was getting late, but I still had a question for him.

"Alright, I have one more question for the night." I said.

"Fire away." He answered as he tucked the handkerchief away and leaned back in his seat.

"What became of Foxy?" I asked. "You don't have her on display anymore."

I tried to sound as oblivious as possible, since I had a feeling that Mr. Fazbear wouldn't be too happy knowing that I had visited her twice already despite his many posted warnings.

"It's dead." He answered indifferently. "The thing cut out a long time ago."

I was surprised by how quickly he had answered, as well as how he dismissed her completely like that.

"Are you sure? Maybe-"

"-Yes, I'm sure. It hasn't been active in years, I assure you."

I had only inferred that Mr. Fazbear had been lying earlier on, but now it was blatantly obvious that he was doing so. This made me wonder how honest he really was with me earlier; he had given me a pretty detailed and compelling backstory for Freddy's, but he easily could have manufactured some of it. Regardless, he didn't know that I had just been with Foxy before I came to see him, giving me an edge in this part of the conversation.

"Oh ok… Well, do you know where she is now?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Decommissioned and in storage." He answered as he gave me a suspicious look. "You seem to have a lot of interest in this particular animatronic."

"Well, uh, you see…"

I struggled to come up with a viable excuse, and quickly created one that hopefully wouldn't give me away.

"…When I was a kid she was my favorite animatronic. I just noticed that she wasn't on display anymore and was curious about what happened with her."

He continued to give me that same skeptical look for a moment before his gaze softened.

"Two things you need to know about that animatronic: One, after it was neglected at the second restaurant it became dysfunctional. It was unpredictable and unsafe. Two, it looked more suited to be a killer than a character at a kid's restaurant. More specifically, it looked like the same animatronic that ripped that man's frontal lobe out in 1987. The likeness between the two raised misconceptions that Foxy was the one responsible for the Bite rather than that Mangle of parts that was Toy Foxy. The public was terrified of it, and so spending the money to fix it up was meaningless."

_That's a pretty coldhearted way to treat something that worked for you for so long_. I thought bitterly, but kept my emotions concealed.

"Oh, ok… That's a shame. Anyway, thanks for answering my questions." I said with a small but grateful smile as I stood from the chair I had been in.

"Anything for my favorite night guard," Mr. Fazbear replied as he smiled and stood up as well, holding out his hand for me to shake. "…Right?"

"…Right." I answered as I accepted the handshake. He nodded to me as his eyes seemed to lighten again. "Though you still owe me a favor."

"Oh, that's right." He answered as he stepped back. "And what might that be?"

"Would you happen to have a part of Foxy that I can hold on to?" I asked with my best hopeful expression. "Just something I can have to remember her by… You know, like a voice box or something?"

He scratched his chin for a second before he snapped his fingers in a "Bingo!" manner.

"Actually, I do have a part that was supposed to be installed in her voice box when the other animatronics were being repaired. The parts all came as a package deal, but to install them cost money. Since Foxy wasn't going to be an attraction anymore I just kept the part without having them actually install it."

"Oh really?" I asked in excitement and surprise. "That would be perfect!"

The man gave me one of his famous warm smiles. "It will take me some time to dig it up, but if you can swing by here tomorrow I'll try to have it ready for you."

"Awesome, thank you!"

"Not a problem," He answered with a chuckle. "Though are you sure you wouldn't rather have an old poster with Foxy on it or something? We have loads of that old memorabilia lying around."

"Nah the part sounds nice." I said as I began to turn to the door. "Well, my shift starts soon so I'd better get going."

"Alright, see you in the morning." Mr. Fazbear said. But just as I reached for the doorknob I heard his voice again.

"…And Dustin? Be careful out there."

I turned back to him and gave him a smirk.

"Hey, I hate dying as much as the next guy."

And with that, I opened the door and headed toward my office for the night.

* * *

**Alright, so hopefully that helped clarify things and give you a better look at Mr. Fazbear. Like I mentioned, this chapter was mostly dialogue without hardly any action, but that's ok because Chapter 8 will throw us right back into the fire ;]**

***NOTICE* _Do I have any artists reading this story? If so, I need your help! I'm looking for someone to design a good cover image for this fic. The old one has been ok up to this point, but now I really want one that involves a more feminine Foxy and a theme that better fits the feel of the story. Any artist that can help me with this will receive complete and total credit for providing me with the image. If interested, please PM me. Thanks!_***

**Thoughts, anyone? They're free to give! Please leave a review if you feel up to it :)**

**As always, thanks for reading!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	8. The Breaking Point

**Hey guys, Starters here with another chapter. I really tried to test my limits as a writer with this one, so hopefully you like it.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

I walked down the long familiar hallway as quickly as I could with my injured ankle. I had been able to move on it pretty well throughout the day, but it didn't change the fact that walking in a wooden splint felt like torture. On top of that my head was beginning to hurt once more- I figured from prolonged fatigue and stress. Ever since my talk with Mr. Fazbear I had been dizzy and my chest felt constricted. Every fiber of my body was screaming at me to stop and rest but I knew that midnight was fast approaching. The thought of wasting time in my current situation provided just enough fear to keep me shuffling toward the soft light at the end of the hall. Each step drained more from me, and my head was racing with all sorts of random thoughts.

Finally I reached my office and collapsed against the doorframe as soon as I got there. My breathing was labored and heavy and sweat was already beginning to pour down my face. I lifted a hand in front of my eyes and grimaced as it shook violently in front of me, despite my best attempts to keep it still. I tried to groan but my throat suddenly felt dry and foreign.

"W-what is happening to me..?" I croaked out. My vision was waning and everything seemed so- wait, where was I again?

I looked around the room in front of me. A fancy chair was sitting against a wall facing a desk. On the desk a small fan was buzzing away while a glowing tablet rested beside it. I reached out for the device, but a sudden pain shot through my head like lightning, causing my whole body to tremble. My hands immediately shot up to my temples and clenched at my head…_ What is happening to me?_

I held my head still until the waves of pain subsided, then slowly looked up again. My vision was blurry, but behind the desk I could make out faces… They seemed familiar… One was purple and the other yellow… And between them was a large brown one. I rubbed my eyes and looked again.

"No… _No!_"

I knew those faces… the robots… Freddy, and Bonnie, and Chica… Those terrible faces were smiling at me- _they knew where I was_! They were coming for me, oh God they were coming for me! I fell hard onto the ground and scooted away from the faces until my back hit the opposite wall. Still they stared at me… Watching me…

"_GO AWAY_!" I screamed, reaching out and grabbing the chair beside me. With a snarl I flung the chair at the faces with all the strength I possessed. It hit the desk with a loud _bang_ and sent the tablet and fan falling to the ground. The sound of glass shattering pierced through the air, bringing another headache with it. Once again I clenched my head, this time pulling tightly on my hair. The more I pulled on it, the more pain I felt. The more pain I felt the louder I cried out.

"_Leave me alone! I didn't do anything to you!_"

And still they stared, watching and laughing. _Laughing at me! Laughing at my fear!_

"_I HATE YOU!_" I roared as bashed the back of my head against the wall. "_I HATE ALL OF YOU!_"

Images flashed in front of my eyes, pictures with no real meaning behind them. One of a little boy coloring on the floor…

"_GO TO HELL!_" I rammed my back against the wall, shaking the whole world around me.

The next, a different boy crying outside of a restaurant. A car pulled up behind him and…

"_NO, DON'T TOUCH ME!_" I looked over at the tablet. It was face down on the floor with shards of glass scattered around it.

Then five children, all happily following a big yellow b-

"_WHAT DO YOU WANT!?_" I lunged forward and grabbed a rhombus- shaped piece of glass so tightly that it dug into my skin, sending a trickle of blood down from my palm.

Laughing… then screaming… then crying, then… _nothing_.

"_No! No! I don't want to be here!_" I was sobbing loudly now, tears running with sweat onto the fresh blood coming from my hand. I shakily got onto my feet, wobbling badly. The whole world was spinning around me but I didn't care. I could still see those faces- those horrible, ugly faces. They watched me as I stumbled toward them, the shard clenched in my hand.

_IT'S ME. IT'S ME. IT'S ME. IT'S __**ME**__._

I let all of the breath in my lungs out in a violent roar as I stabbed at the poster, slashing the paper away into shreds and twisting the sharp edge of the glass into their faces. I vigorously repeated the motion until every last trace of the horrible creatures was gone for good.

My chest was heaving as I stood over the shredded remains of the poster. Blood, sweat, and tears shed off of me like a winter coat as I shook violently. I felt trapped, I felt hopeless. And at the same time… I felt equally guilty. As I looked down at the shreds of the Freddy poster a sense of self-loathing so deep that it clashed with my paranoia shook me. But it had to be done… They couldn't see me anymore. I was _safe_. A dark grin slowly came over my face, my teeth bared like some sort of wildcat as I finally felt at peace.

"Hehehehe…"

I froze.

That sound didn't come from me.

My ears rang as the sounds of my breakdown were replaced with an eerie silence. Slowly I turned around, my spine tingling and heart pounding. Once I had turned to face the noise I realized that my vision was still blurry. At first I could hardly see it- it was nothing but a yellow blob against the back wall. I leaned my head forward and narrowed my eyes, letting my vision slowly return to me…

"W… W-what..?"

The image slowly came into focus, then faded back out, then returned before completely clearing. The result nearly caused my heart to leap from my chest.

It was Freddy… but something was wrong. The color was off and it looked hollow, with sunken holes for eyes with a mere pinprick of light shining from the depths of each. Its arms rested lazily on the ground beside it as it rested limply against the back wall, its mouth hanging loosely open. However, despite its dead appearance it stared at me, the pinpricks in its eyes never leaving my face. Once again I felt dizzy- the room swam around the thing as it watched me. I swayed as I felt my sense of balance crumble. The whole time it just sat there, its head slowly moving to follow my movements while otherwise remaining completely still. I felt my grip loosen on the glass before I heard a distant '_tink'. _That was the last thing that happened before I fell, my head bouncing off of the tiled floor and then…

…Darkness.

* * *

Bell chimes. They were far away but unmistakable, ringing slowly in the distance. I tried to open my eyes but everything around me was dim and fuzzy. There was a light on somewhere above me but it didn't matter. Nothing really mattered right now, except-

"Mmm… I need… Sleep…"

I tried to roll over, but something sharp beneath me prevented me from doing so. My eyes shot open as the object dug into my back, causing me to jolt up. The movement was quickly met with a sharp pain in my head, so I groaned and rubbed my temples in response.

"Huh..? Where am I?"

I was on the floor, I knew that much. I tried to look around at my blurry surroundings but none of it made sense to me. I scratched my head and instead examined the object I had rolled onto. It seemed to be a large shard of broken glass… but what was it doing here? I reached out with my right hand to grab it, but pulled back with a hiss of pain when my palm made contact. Looking down I could see a fine line of dark blood across my skin. By some miracle it had missed my stitches, but it still hurt like crazy.

Now my vision was returning and I began making sense of my situation. There was a large rolling chair on its side next to a desk, and a silenced fan on the ground beneath it. On top of the desk were a mess of paper scraps and blood, all illuminated by a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling.

_Wait… Am I at Freddy's?_

I looked around once more for confirmation, but it was unmistakable- this was my office. I hummed to myself before getting to my feet. I felt dizzy, but I had no idea why. The last thing I could remember was leaving Mr. Fazbear's office after our talk- had I fallen asleep?

"No, that doesn't make any sense." I decided to myself as I examined the room. It was a wreck. No unconscious person could have done this, even if they were sleepwalking through a nightmare.

I strained my mind to remember something- anything about what had taken place. After several moments a memory began to assemble, though at first it was nothing but different emotions. I felt anger, fear, hopelessness, and desperation… then a strange sense of guilty joy. I worked toward remembering the image of what had occurred, but nothing came up until I remembered a sound:

"_Hehehehe…"_

My eyes snapped open. There was something in the room with me, something that wasn't here when I came in. The more I thought of it, the more an image would slowly fade into focus… A pair of hollow eyes… A yellow exterior… A head that slowly followed me, no matter where I moved.

Before long I had pieced together the entire creature, though the rest of my blank memory remained unknown. I looked over at the spot it had been sitting and stared.

"What _was_ that thing?" I asked the empty room. It was no animatronic I had ever seen- if I could even call it that. Honestly it looked more like a suit…

And that's when it hit me.

_A suit._

Mr. Fazbear had mentioned how the company had two animatronics that doubled as mascot outfits. One was in storage and the other was-

"Oh my God…" I said as terror rose inside of me. It was impossible yet completely viable to my sleep-deprived mind. The missing suit was just here, it was watching me.

My breathing began to become rapid as I looked all around me for the suit. As far as I knew it could still be here somewhere, staring at me with those dead eyes. However, after several moments of looking around there was still no sign of the thing anywhere. I had to accept that it had somehow left.

It was bizarre and freaky, but it didn't hurt me. That was good right? Or was it just waiting for another time?

"You're paranoid." I growled at myself as I walked over to the chair and flipped it back upright. "Just focus on getting through the night."

Night?

_Night!_

If there had ever been a moment where the truth hit someone like a bag of bricks, it was right then and there. Within what must have been mere milliseconds I was rushing around the room, getting everything back in order for my shift. Once the chair was back in its usual place and the fan was once again buzzing soundly, I found the tablet facedown under the desk. I quickly pulled it out but groaned when I flipped it over and saw the shattered screen.

_That must be where all of the glass came from_, I thought as I turned the device on. To my grateful surprise the screen still flickered to life, displaying the time- 12:10. I breathed a silent prayer of thanks for not sleeping for too long, then flipped the device to the security footage and clicked the camera aimed at the Show Stage.

To my enormous relief all three of the animatronics were still there, staring forward into the darkness. I took the opportunity to check the other feeds, making sure that I could still see each room well despite the shattered screen. Once I was content I flipped back to the Show Stage and yelped at the sight. Bonnie and Chica were still there, though now they were staring at the camera with glares that pierced through the dark. Their eyes were both black, with nothing but a small dot of light shining in each, giving them a terrible appearance. However, that wasn't what really scared me.

Freddy was gone.

"_OhGodwhereishewhereishewhereishe!?_" I said, my mouth unable to keep up with my terrified mind. I cycled through each camera without so much of a glimpse of the bear. Panic struck me as I lunged for the right door light, mashing the button to light up the hall outside. However, he wasn't there. I then tried the left side, but found the same result. No Freddy.

"It's like he's nowhere," I breathed as I cycled through the cameras again. Surprisingly Bonnie and Chica still hadn't moved an inch. I lowered the tablet in confusion- _where was he?_

I thought for several seconds about how to handle this predicament. How can you protect yourself from something you can't see? As I thought I let my eyes wander around the office until they rested on a small red dot, blinking on the back corner of the desk in front of me.

_The phone! Maybe my employee assistance calls can tell me what's going on_.

I rolled the chair forward toward the desk and read the small screen on the phone's base. It indicated that there were two recorded messages, one from last night and the other probably from when I was unconscious earlier. It was a miracle that nothing had happened to the phone given that the rest of the room was trashed when I woke up, but I didn't exactly have the time to dance for joy at the moment. I quickly selected the older message then clicked the speaker button, so I could focus on monitoring the cameras while I listened. Instantly an automated voice met me from the phone's base.

"**Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a magical place for kids and grown-ups alike. If you are hearing this message, then you are employed as a night watchman for the company. If this is true, press "1" now."**

I groaned and mashed the number one button. I really didn't have time for this right now.

"**The following is a pre-recorded message purposed to assist you on your second night inside the building. But first, verify that you have heard the 'Day 1' message by pressing "1" now."**

"_Really!?_" I pressed the button again before leaning back and checking the door lights once more.

"**Wonderful. Remember, Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. By signing our Employment Release Form you have agreed to the terms that keep Fazbear Entertainment from liabilities regarding any injuries or death you have received during your shift. Stay safe, and remember to smile! You are the face of Fazbear Entertainment!"**

I shot a large fake smile at the phone before scowling at it then returning to the cameras. A moment of silence ensued before a familiar voice followed. It was the same nervous speaker that had given me my "Introductory Greeting" from the company on my first night. I checked the Show Stage to ensure that the two female animatronics hadn't moved before returning to my hunt for the large bear.

"_Hello, Hello? Uh, well, if you're hearing this and you made it to day two, uh, congrats! I won't talk quite as long this time since Freddy and his friends tend to become more active as the week progresses-"_

"I know!" I said irritably as I fast-forwarded through his introduction.

"_Uh, interestingly enough, Freddy himself doesn't come off stage very often. I heard he becomes a lot more active in the dark though, so hey, I guess that's one more reason not to run out of power right?"_

"Oh, bite me…" I muttered as I checked the lights again. It was just after one o'clock now, and I had about 80% power left- pretty good for checking the cameras as often as I had been.

"_I-I also want to emphasize the importance of using your door lights… Uh, there are blind spots in your camera views, and those blind spots happen to be… right outside of your doors."_

"Then install more cameras, you idiot-"

"_So i-if you can't find something… or someone, on your cameras, be sure to check the door lights."_

He went on about that for a minute without any other pointers, so I ended the recording and took a moment to process what he had said.

"Ok, so Freddy likes the dark." I said as I instinctively checked the door lights again. "And there are also blind spots on the cameras? Isn't that convenient."

I sighed and went back to the cameras. By this point it was easy to piece together what was going on- Freddy was sticking to the dark areas in the camera's blind spots. That left me with a conflict- how do I respond if I don't even know where he is? For all I know, he could be right outside my-

"**Huruh, huh, huh!**"

Immediately I was as still as a statue- That laugh was really close. Moving as slowly as I could manage, I flipped the security feed to the camera right outside of my right door. The image looked completely normal…

I gasped in late realization as I turned and hit the light button on my right, but the hall didn't illuminate.

That's because something was already in the doorway, blocking the light.

I looked up and screamed- the massive bipedal bear was standing right there, giving me that same venomous smile that I had seen yesterday. His eyes flashed quickly as he reached out for my arm, his jaw dropping to let out a screech that I was all too familiar with.

"**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**"

My head pounded against the shrill noise, and I immediately pulled my arm back out of reflex. I felt his large, cold fingers scrape my arm, missing his mark by just inches as I turned and bolted from my seat, running toward the left door. There was a loud shuffling behind me, and I realized that he was following me out of the room. As a last-minute thought I slammed my hand against the door button as I exited the room, moving just quick enough to clear the heavy steel door as it crashed down between me and the animatronic. I didn't wait to see if he would open it again- I was already tearing down the hallway. Luckily I had still managed to hold onto the tablet with my free hand, and ducked into an empty room to check it.

"Alright Dustin, think!" I whispered to myself as I cycled through the feeds. I knew that the tablet likely wouldn't help me with locating Freddy, but I could use it to plot my next step in escaping him.

"Just last until six." I said to myself as I worked on formulating a plan. Ideally I could get back to the office and lock myself in like I had the previous night- but I had left the door closed behind me and that was undoubtedly draining my power right now. After doing some mental math and guesswork I decided that I should stay out of the office until five to save enough power to keep me safe. That meant nearly three more hours in the dark with Freddy…

"Damn it." I said as I shook my head. Given his size Freddy was probably slower than Bonnie or Chica, but I was also slowed due to my ankle. It was also safe to assume that if he caught me I was done for, since I doubted I could hit him hard enough to loosen his grip. That ran me out of all my tricks- I had to play it smart if I wanted to get through this.

With a deep breath I ran back out of the room, quietly and quickly. I couldn't stay in one spot too long or I would risk him cornering me in a room. I kept the tablet tucked tightly against me to hide the light it gave off as I moved.

I repeated this process of keep-away for a while, moving from room to room without pattern or breaks. Every time I would hear a noise, distant or otherwise, I would serpentine from room to room as to throw off any possible trail I was giving. Once or twice I considered ducking into Pirate's Cove, but was only put into the position to get there safely once and decided against it. Despite how much I wanted to hide out with Foxy for the night I was afraid that Freddy would follow and hurt her too.

In the end it didn't matter, as the remaining hours gradually passed. Before I knew it five o'clock had come and gone, and within ten minutes I was on my way back to the office. I also noticed that as time went on Freddy became more and more mobile, as I could hear his booming laughter more frequently from all different stretches of the building.

The door on the right was still closed, so I circled around the other way, taking plenty of time to do it stealthily. I used conjoining rooms and passages following the same hallway that I had walked down to start my shift in the first place. Finally, around five thirty I was within a room of the office. I felt a sense of relief so great that I wanted to laugh, but held it as I moved into the last room between me and safety. I couldn't believe it, but I had survived.

With a huge grin I ran toward the door of the room, then turned out into the hallway and-

I froze. Something was wrong.

The door was closed.

I was locked out.

_He locked me out._

I was just recovering from the shock of seeing my plan fall apart when I heard a loud laugh from the hall behind me. I quickly whipped around and stared down the long passageway. I didn't see anything, but another laugh followed, this time closer than the previous. I was at a dead-end, and Freddy was coming for me.

I looked down at the tablet- 5:35. It wouldn't take him twenty-five minutes to reach me. I was screwed.

"No… It can't end like this!" I said, met only by another laugh closer than the previous. I looked at the firmly closed door, then at my tablet and sighed. There was no way out.

I was about ready to give up when I noticed the power meter on the tablet, reading that only 10% power remained. Having both doors closed had severely drained the remaining power, and my heart leaped as another idea formed from the old one- I had one last chance to make it out alive.

Turning to the door, I slammed my fist against the steel with all the power I had. It sent a loud bang echoing down the halls, but the door barely budged. I looked down at the tablet- 9%.

I growled and tried again, bashing my bare fists against the door repeatedly. Each hit sent off flashes of red-hot pain in my hand, but that wasn't important right now. I checked again- 7%.

Another laugh echoed from behind me, and I knew that he was only a couple of rooms away now and gaining fast.

"Come on!" I yelled, hitting the door again. My bare fists weren't enough.

I looked at the tablet again, and knew what had to be done. Grabbing the device in both hands, I swung at the door with a vengeance, sending glass flying in all directions with each impact. The door trembled with each pound, but the laughing was getting closer. I continued to beat the door until a familiar sound echoed from mere feet behind me.

"**Huruh, huh, huh!"**

This was it, I was out of time. I had to gamble on my efforts bringing the power down enough to save me, but it was going to be close. I turned around and faced the bear, who was standing just outside of the closest doorway, watching me. His flashing eyes lit up his menacing scowl as he glared at me for a second. Then, ready for the kill he roared, beginning to lurch forward toward the puny human in his way.

I backed against the door and clenched my eyes shut as the bear barreled toward me.

"_Come on!_"

Suddenly a loud sound similar to that of an engine dying was heard, and the world was plunged into darkness. The surface that I was leaning against suddenly disappeared and I stumbled backward into the office. My plan had worked!

"**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**

Despite this extra time I bought, I still had a giant killer bear after me and had to move quickly. With my heart hammering I sprinted away from the office through the opposite door and down the hallway. Now I just had to run out the clock- another fifteen minutes I guessed. For a while Freddy followed me, and the time seemed to stretch at an excruciating level. A few times I stumbled and thought I was going to die right there, but I always managed to keep moving. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I stopped hearing the heavy footsteps behind me. However, I didn't stop moving. I kept running until I collapsed from exhaustion against a wall, clenching my chest as I battled to regain my breath.

And then I heard a beautiful sound. At midnight it was the most horrible noise imaginable, promising pain and death. But now… It meant safety. It meant an end to all of the world's troubles.

The clock at the entrance struck 6 O'clock.

Through my coughing and wheezing in the hall I stammered toward the sound, following the hallway all the way out to the entrance as music began to play nearby. Mr. Fazbear was just unlocking the front doors when I reached the large entry room, and gave me a warm smile as he entered.

"Ah, Dustin!"

When I didn't answer his look changed to one of confusion.

"Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

In response I only stopped in front of him, glaring as I held up the destroyed remains of the security tablet. Without another word I handed the mess of glass and wires to him, before walking out of the building and to my car. I stayed silent all the way until I arrived at the parking lot outside of my apartment and even as I stumbled up to my door and let myself in. Once there I walked straight over to my mattress and collapsed.

Once again, everything went dark.

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**How was that? If you feel up to it, please leave me a review with your thoughts!**

**Thanks guys!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	9. The Upgrades

**Hey guys, I have an important A/N I'm going to get out of the way real quick. It sounds a little rant-ish, but really it's just me making something clear.**

**If you've read the story up to this point you probably know that I'm really taking the Horror aspect of this fic seriously. With that said, I know that it's tagged as Romance as well, and a lot of you guys are waiting for that to start. I assure you that the romance is on its way, and thank those of you who have been patient and supported my story despite the fact that a pairing hasn't been made yet. Your support and patience is immensely appreciated to me as a writer. However, for those of you who penalize my story simply because there's no pairing yet, you need to understand that it is coming, and I as an author do not rush romantic situations. I'm sorry, but pairing characters within the first few chapters really hinders a fic's realism and quality. Your lovey-dovey situations are coming soon, I assure you, but seriously try to enjoy a story for something more than the romance. If I wanted an easy 100 followers and favs, and 20 reviews a chapter, I could have paired the characters right away and started with the L word and romantic situations. After all, that's what most readers like to see. But I feel like I can make this story more if I work on it at the pace I'm going, and I am seriously pouring myself into every single chapter. Again, your romance is coming, but I'm not rushing the pairing, because I feel like I can make this story great. I thank everyone for your support.**

**Whew, thanks for bearing with me if you read all of that. Anyway, I won't get in the way of your reading any longer- so enjoy!**

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_Bzzzt, Bzzzt, Bzzzt, Bzzzt…_

An obnoxious buzzing echoed from somewhere far away, pulling me out from the comfortable darkness I was happily residing in. As a natural reflex I groaned in protest before grabbing the pillow beside me and pulling it over my head. This helped to muffle the repetitive sound, but it was still there nonetheless. As if to counter my efforts the sound seemed to become louder, stressing a sense of urgency.

"Shut up…" I mumbled in a half-conscious stupor as I pulled the pillow tighter to my head.

_Bzzzt, Bzzzt, Bzzzt…_

"Shut up… _Please_?"

_Bzzzt, Bzzzt…_

"Uugh, fine. Have it your way."

Against the wishes of my exhausted body I slowly tore myself from the soft haven that was my mattress and sat up. For a moment I stayed there, tolerating the buzzing as I stretched and rubbed my sore head. It was a tragic end to a much-needed rest and the first halfway decent sleep I had experienced since my employment at Freddy Fazbear's began. This was mostly due to the high stress and pressure I had been put under lately- but I guess all bodies have a limit, and I was well past the point where mine could refuse me a good rest.

Once I had yawned and rubbed the sleep from my eyes I stood and turned to my dresser, where the racket was coming from. Atop the wooden fixture my cell phone was vibrating in short bursts while the screen lit up to notify me of a call. I hesitated when I saw what was displayed on the screen: _Work_. Without a doubt it was Mr. Fazbear, wondering about the destroyed security tablet and trashed office. Would he be mad? If so I wasn't sure whether I could blame him or not- on one hand I had cost him hundreds of dollars in damages. On the other, I either had no choice or couldn't remember what happened.

I slowly picked up the phone and checked the time before answering- 5:34 P.M. I had slept for almost a whole 12 hours since I left work. Taking a breath, I flipped the phone open and held it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Dustin? It's Mr. Fazbear."

_Nailed it_, I thought to myself before he continued.

"I saw you looked pretty worn-out this morning, so I wanted to give you some time to rest before I talked to you."

"Oh, thank you sir. I really needed that."

"Not a problem. Say, are you busy at the moment?"

My eyes shifted to my bed, and an incredible temptation to say that I was rose within me. However, I kind of owed him for the tablet so I decided against it.

"Not at the moment. Why?"

There was a slight pause on the other end as I heard another voice in the background.

"I wanted to see if you could come in for a bit. I know your shift doesn't start for a while, but maybe you could humor me with a visit?"

"Sir… Is this about this morning? If so, I'm really sorry. I had no choice and-"

"No, no, nothing like that." He answered with a chuckle. "I understand that sometimes extreme measures must be taken to ensure your safety as a night watchman. However, I do have a couple of questions."

I smiled. Even though this man knowingly put me into a constantly life-threatening position, he was rather kind to me. It put my opinion of him constantly on the fence, though I was still pretty sure that he had lied to me the previous night. Still, he looked out for me which was more than I could say about most people. Taking all of this into consideration I was still as unsure with how to feel about him as I was on my first day on the job… Wow, was that really only three days ago?

"I understand. I can leave now, if you'd like?"

"That would be wonderful, see you in a bit."

"See you soon."

I hung up the phone and set it back down on the dresser. Changing out of my dirty clothes, I put on my usual outfit of a black tee-shirt and blue jeans, along with my favorite jacket. I then crossed over to the bathroom to make sure I looked presentable. I flinched when I saw my reflection in the mirror- my skin was a few shades lighter than it usually was and I had a slight dark ring around each eye. I didn't even want to know what I had looked like before I got some sleep. I shook my head and turned on the faucet, splashing the water onto my face and rubbing my eyes. This almost completely removed the dark rings, though I still looked unusually pale. Now I knew what Mr. Fazbear meant when he said I looked like I had "seen a ghost" this morning.

After taming my hair and gathering my keys I headed out to my car. It was just after 6 when I pulled up to the restaurant, and I was feeling much more like myself after a long rest. I quickly got out of my car and walked through the glass front doors, waving at the entrance staff as I did so. Then I headed for Mr. Fazbear's office, past droves of screaming kids and the music of the animatronic band. I personally liked kids, but my returning headache made me wonder how I ever thought this place was fun.

Mr. Fazbear's office door was open when I got there, and he was talking to a man wearing a business suit. I made to wait outside for them to finish talking, but Mr. Fazbear saw me and waved me in.

"Ah, speak of the devil! Fritz, this is Dustin. He's the night guard I was telling you about."

The other man, Fritz, turned to me and gave me a polite smile. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with slightly greying black hair and a clean face. In his left hand was a clipboard holding several permits and other pieces of paperwork.

"Dustin Juniper. Nice to meet you." I said as I held out my hand. He shook it before answering.

"Fritz Smith." He looked over at Mr. Fazbear and smirked. "So the _old man_ over here told me that you had a pretty rough night, huh?"

Mr. Fazbear chuffed. "Hey now, I call it being 'aged-to-perfection'. And yes, I was actually just about to talk to him about that myself."

He then turned back to me. "Dustin, would you kindly close that door behind you?"

I paused and looked at Fritz, who I had never met before but seemed well acquainted with Mr. Fazbear. He seemed fine with the action so I closed the wooden door, giving us privacy from the rest of the restaurant.

"Thank you," Mr. Fazbear said before walking around his desk and clapping a hand on Fritz's shoulder. "Now I think it's time I have you two properly introduced. Dustin, Fritz here is an old friend and business partner of mine. Long ago he worked beside me at Fazbear Entertainment, but now he runs his own custom contracting and construction company. He's my guy when I need something done around here- with the exception of night watchman duties."

"I paid that due a long time ago." Fritz said as he shook his head. "One night was all it took, and I decided I was never coming back."

"I can't blame you." I answered with a chuckle. "So you know about what the animatronics do then?"

"More or less. When I was guard the Toy models still ran the place. Each generation seems to change pretty drastically in their tactics, so I'm not positive about what the current animatronics do when the lights go off."

"Fritz also helped me to upgrade the animatronics at the last restaurant." Mr. Fazbear chimed in. "I still owe him for that- he saved me a ton of money and the new versions are great for sales."

"Wow, so do you know why the animatronics look- er… different?" I asked, referring to the new body shapes and exteriors.

"Ah that. Well you see, the old models were blocky and many people had trouble appreciating the capabilities of each animatronic just because of their appearances. And of course there was a huge misunderstanding between the public and identifying the gender of the female animatronics. And so I, along with a majority of Fazbear Entertainment, decided that a makeover was in order. Each of the girls received cosmetic modifications to make them more human-like in their proportions, which both raised their visual appeal and gave them a motherly sort of feel. The new looks also came with an upgrade to make them run smoother, move faster, and compute situations better. A lot of work was put into keeping their unique animal characteristics, while also making them as close to human as possible."

"Ah, ok." I answered, nodding in understanding.

"So, returning to the current matter at hand," Mr. Fazbear started, "Dustin, would you mind telling us what happened last night? It was obviously very intense judging by the state that your office was in when I checked on it this morning."

"Oh… That." I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "Well, to be honest I don't remember what happened myself. I was walking down the hall after our talk, and the next thing I know I was waking up on the floor surrounded by broken glass and blood."

"Hmm… you don't remember anything at all?" Fritz asked with an inquisitive expression.

"No- After that I spent the rest of the night running away from Freddy."

Mr. Fazbear crossed his arms and leaned back, humming thoughtfully. "It might have been a panic attack like you said, Fritz."

"Wouldn't surprise me." The other answered. "With the stress that this job puts you under mixed with the enclosed space it can be easy to have a breakdown. Still, any little memory would really help with the report."

The room suddenly became silent as the two older gentlemen looked at me. I realized that they were waiting for me to give them something, but I really didn't remember anything…

Oh. Except for _that_.

"Actually, there is one thing…" I started hesitantly. There was a good chance that these men would think I was crazy after hearing this.

"And what might that be?" Mr. Fazbear asked.

I swallowed before answering. All of a sudden I began to feel shaky again.

"There was something in the room with me, right before I passed out." I answered.

The two exchanged unreadable looks before Fritz looked at me.

"Well, what was it?"

"I don't know for sure- It looked like Freddy, but it was… empty. It just kind of laid there, staring at me. Right around that time I got really dizzy and fell down." I swallowed again. "I don't know how it got there, I… I mean, the room was empty when I came in. I just remember turning around, and there it was."

Silence followed my words. I looked at both of the men, and only then did I realize the power that my words carried. Fritz's eyes were widened as he stared at me, undoubtedly processing what he had just heard. Then there was Mr. Fazbear, who looked white as a ghost. A tense moment passed before Fritz softly cleared his throat.

"W-what color was it? What color was the suit?"

"Yellow." I answered, a little unnerved by how he already knew it was a suit even though I hadn't mentioned it.

Once more the two exchanged glances. Mr. Fazbear stepped forward, putting his hand firmly on my shoulder and staring into my eyes with a dead-serious stare.

"Dustin, do you remember anything else? Anything at all? It's important."

"N-no…" I answered, backing away. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Fritz suddenly answered, stepping forward and shooting Mr. Fazbear a look. "We'll just put 'hallucinations' in the report."

There was a pause before Mr. Fazbear nodded, some of the color starting to return to his face.

"Yes… very good."

"Wait, there's something else isn't there?" I asked, feeling more worried by the second. "What was it, what does it mean?"

"It's probably nothing." Fritz answered, but he averted his eyes.

"No- I think he should know." Mr. Fazbear said, his gaze shifting from Fritz to me and back. "At least some of it."

"Are you sure?" Fritz asked, before lowering his voice and urgently whispering something to Mr. Fazbear that I couldn't quite make out.

"…Yes. Dustin has been a good guard for me. He's been through a lot and I think he should know."

Fritz reluctantly nodded before straightening his tie and turning to me.

"Have you been informed of the two spring lock animatronics yet?" He asked.

"Yeah- the suits that Fredbear's Diner used right?"

"Correct." Mr. Fazbear answered. "And remember how I mentioned one of them went missing?"

"Yeah..?" I did _not_ have a good feeling about where this was going.

"Well… It's estimated that the suit went missing around the time that the second location closed. It was kept in the back room at that building, in case something happened to one of the animatronics and a staff member had to fill in. Anyway, the other spring lock suit was used one day for… some very bad things. You remember the second Missing Children Incident?"

I slowly nodded.

"The killer used one of the suits to lure the kids to the back before… you know. The next day they were closing up the building and found that one of the suits- the one they called 'Golden Freddy'- was gone. Nobody knew how or why, but it had somehow vanished."

"After that some strange reports came in from later night guards." Fritz continued. "It was extremely rare, but some would say that on their first or second night they would see the missing suit. Of course Fazbear Entertainment didn't believe them, but then something weird began happening…"

"What was it?" I asked.

"They… went insane." Mr. Fazbear answered. "They would hurt anyone nearby and destroy property for no apparent reason, screaming and muttering gibberish the whole time. Then, one of two things would happen."

"They would expire," Fritz said, counting the happenings on his fingers. "Or they would become empty themselves. As in they lived, but there was no one home. No thought, no actions,_ nothing_. Though almost every case involves the person dying before mysteriously disapearing."

I gulped loudly. "So how come I'm still alive and sane?"

"That's the interesting part." Mr. Fazbear replied. "Like Fritz said, this is an exceedingly rare occurrence- including you I can count the number of people claiming to see the suit on one hand. All except one of them were killed or driven insane. That means that you not only saw it, but are the second person to ever survive it."

"So far." I softly said, grimacing.

Fritz gave me an empathetic smile. "Hey, the chances of you ever seeing the thing again are slim to none. I wouldn't worry about it much, kid."

I gave him a weak smile back, and was about to say more when a knock on the door interrupted me.

"Come in," Mr. Fazbear said as we all turned toward the doorway. It opened to reveal a man wearing a hardhat and dusty construction worker clothing.

"Mr. Smith, we're wrapping up with the office now."

"Perfect." Fritz answered with a smile. "I'll be there in just a moment."

"The office?" I asked. "As in, the security office?"

"Yes siree," Mr. Fazbear answered happily, despite what we had just been talking about. "After this morning I realized that we were way past due for an upgrade. That's why I called Fritz in today."

"Wow, what kind of upgrades are they?" I asked.

"Why don't you come see for yourself?" Fritz answered with a chuckle. "I think we could all use a break from this conversation. Besides, it should raise your spirits a bit once you see what we've done with it."

I agreed, and so we all walked together out of the room and toward my office. On the way we received a lot of strange looks from customers and kids alike- it must be unusual to see a businessman, Mr. Fazbear, and some kind of apparently punk kid walking into the pizzeria together. Come to think of it, the situation sounded like some kind of bad joke.

As we approached the room it immediately became clear to me that this was no minor change. Right away we were greeted by a large rectangular window bolted into the wall beside the door. On the other side I could see a couple of workers finishing installation of a seemingly identical window. There was also a large black box tucked into a corner under the desk, making small whirring sounds. I was surprised when in addition to these changes there was also a new tablet sitting on the rolling chair facing the desk. This one was different however, with a protective case made of strong plastic and rubber as well as a metal cage along the sides. Upon closer inspection it looked more like it was designed to bludgeon then monitor cameras.

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said it was an upgrade." I said with a chuckle. "What is all of this?"

"Well, the windows are pretty self-explanatory," Fritz said as he walked over and knocked on the glass. "Now you can see if something is outside of your doors without having to peek out. And don't worry- they're made of reinforced plexiglass and a steel base bolted straight into the wall. If something wanted to get through them they'd have to take out the whole wall as well."

I nodded in approval as Mr. Fazbear pointed at the black box.

"Is that the housing for the new generator Fritz?" He asked.

"Ah, yes sir." Fritz answered as he walked over and crouched down next to the box. "The generator inside of this will power everything in the office- the overhead light, the fan, the tablet- without using up any of the building's power. It also helps to lessen all other power consumption with the exception of the doors. Those will still raise usage pretty drastically. Of course, once the building has run out of power the doors will still return to their raised position, despite the generator. But the inside of the office should never lose power again unless the generator goes down."

I looked over at the doors and noticed that the frames seemed larger and more sturdy. I mentioned it to the other two and Fritz smiled.

"Oh, that. I added reinforcements to the doors to keep them resilient, even if they are being tampered with from the outside. You'll still lose power when something impacts the door, but it will take a lot more work to do so."

I remembered how Bonnie nearly ran me out of power on my first night just by hitting the door. It was a close call, but now it sounded like it would take a lot more for them to get in by using that method. This was a major relief since it meant I could lock myself in with more confidence.

"And last but not least, the tablet." Fritz said as he picked the device up and handed it to me. "Now door-proof."

"Wait- how did you know about that?" I asked, causing him to smile in response.

"I put two-and-two together. The scratches outside of the door fit pretty well with what was left of the tablet, so I assumed you got locked out and beat on the door until the power outage let you in." He explained.

"Wow, you're good." I said, causing both gentlemen to laugh.

"So Dustin," Mr. Fazbear started, "What do you think, will all of this work?"

I looked around before smirking. "I'll see what I can do with it."

Fritz chuckled and Mr. Fazbear patted me on the back.

"Well then, that's good enough for me. Fritz, what do I owe you?"

"The bill is on your desk." He answered. "Don't worry- I gave you a good discount."

"Oh, I bet." Mr. Fazbear responded sarcastically.

"Hey now, my quality is unmatched but my prices are always fair." He answered, using a convincing salesman voice.

"Uh-huh. You'll hear from my lawyer when I realize I've been robbed." Mr. Fazbear said with a serious face but humor in his eyes.

We joked around like that for a bit more and Fritz showed me how to use the tablet before he had to leave for another job. He gave Mr. Fazbear a handshake that folded into a brotherly hug before he turned and smiled at me.

"It was nice meeting you Dustin. You have real potential to help this company and stay safe while doing it, just make sure to keep a clear head and always err on the side of caution."

I nodded. "I always try."

He shook my hand and turned to the right door, pausing only to wink at us before walking off down the hall. I gave Mr. Fazbear a questioning look and he only chuckled to himself.

"That means that he did something we probably don't know about. That's the thing about Fritz- he likes to leave a surprise after every job he completes. After every time he winks I'll find something new lying about, whether it's something small like a photograph or large like an upgrade he didn't mention. Just keep an eye open and you'll see what I mean."

"Ah, ok." I said, taking one last look around the room. Mr. Fazbear did the same, until he snapped his fingers suddenly.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Dustin, please come with me."

He turned and began to walk out of the room the same way we had entered, so I shrugged and followed him. He led me down the hall and to his office, pausing to look over a piece of paper that was left on his desk. He grunted and shook his head, but he was cracking a smile. I assumed it was the bill that Fritz had mentioned earlier.

Then he sat down behind his desk and pulled a key ring out of his pocket. After sifting through the impressive number of keys for a moment he picked one out with a hearty "Aha!" and inserted it into a locked drawer. I was just starting to wonder what he was getting when he opened the drawer and pulled out a small square box. Handing it to me with a smile, he sat back with his arms crossed contently.

I looked at him for a moment before remembering his promise last night- was this the part for Foxy's voice box?

As if he read my mind, Mr. Fazbear chuckled and spoke up.

"A promise is a promise- that was the part to restore Foxy's voice box. I'm not sure why you would want something strange like that, but to be honest I'm glad to have you take it off my hands."

In excitement I opened the box, and couldn't help but feel like a child at Christmas time when I saw the oddly shaped part inside. It was a small metal box, but with some substantial weight. Connected to the box was a pipe-like extension that ended in a disk shape. Picking it up, I could see that a lot of the part was hollow, reminding me of how an actual throat would look. Beneath the new part was a small paper booklet with a bold title that stated: **Voice Box Replacement/Upgrade for model no. 1260- Foxy the Pirate Fox. **

After skimming through the booklet I now knew that this would fully restore her voice, which excited me even more. I couldn't wait to get it to her as soon as possible, so I put everything back in the box and stood up, turning towards the door.

"Thanks sir!" I said as I began walking away.

"Anytime, see you tomorrow." I heard him reply.

I turned out of his office and sped up substantially, quickly making my way toward Pirate Cove.

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***Notice- this fic's rating might be raised to 'M' depending on future violence, language, and adult situations. None of this is confirmed yet.**

**For those of you who read what I typed at the beginning of this chapter, thank you for taking the A/N seriously XD. As for those of you who didn't, I'm going to pretend you did.**

***Charity Announcer Voice*: _You_ have the power to change a writer's life, for just one review an update. Your feedback will provide them with happiness, ideas, and motivation for their stories. Just imagine the smile on their face as they log on and see that a valued reader has taken the time to get back to them. _You_ can be that reader. Please, look within your heart and use your keyboard for what its meant for- supporting these hardworking authors. Your support will never go unnoticed. And thank you... For caring.**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	10. The Voice

**Hey guys, here's another chapter of FNaF: Another Side. This chapter is special to me though, seeing as it is the 10th instillation of this story. I know to many that isn't much, but after all the time I have put into writing this fic so far it seems like a pretty big moment to me personally.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

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Dustin hurried through the well-populated entrance area and past party rooms toward the curtains of Pirate Cove. He felt unusually happy and excited at the thought of giving Foxy her voice back, possibly because he was helping her just as she had helped him the previous couple of days. He also couldn't deny that making her happy was a major bonus; after seeing that look of depression and loss in her eyes yesterday he was determined to help her out of whatever hole that Mr. Fazbear and everyone else had left her in. As he walked he remembered what Mr. Fazbear had said when asked why Foxy was no longer on display:

"_Two things you need to know about that animatronic: One, after it was neglected at the second restaurant it became dysfunctional. It was unpredictable and unsafe. Two, it looked more suited to be a killer than a character at a kid's restaurant. More specifically, it looked like the same animatronic that ripped that man's frontal lobe out in 1987_."

Dustin frowned- it was unfair to lock something away just because it looked like something negative. That was like putting him in prison just because he looked like a convict. Besides, the two times he had seen Foxy so far she had been nothing but kind to him, and showed no signs of being 'dysfunctional' as Mr. Fazbear had said. Still, he didn't know for sure so he reminded himself to be cautious around her. Just as Fritz had said, it was important to err on the side of caution.

Finally he reached the faded purple curtains. Before entering he hid the box behind his back and put on his best natural expression as to surprise her with the part. Then he gently pushed the fabric aside and stepped into the room, making sure to leave it open just enough to allow light inside. The young guard let his eyes adjust to his dim surroundings for a moment before looking around, but there was no sign of Foxy. As usual she was hiding from him.

"Is this going to happen every time I come to see you?" He asked the room with a slight smile. The only response was a soft giggle that echoed off of the boxes.

_I guess I'll just have to find her then_, He decided as he silently crept toward a stack of crates labeled 'Pirate Toys' to his left. Upon reaching the group of boxes he quickly turned and peeked behind them, but there was no Foxy there. He let out a soft 'hmm…' as he scanned the room then made his way toward the next possible hiding place. When there was no luck there he repeated the process, which continued until he had checked every spot that could have concealed a large animatronic fox. Dustin scratched his head in amazement, seeing as Foxy had somehow disappeared. Then he realized that she must be switching spots as he checked others, so he decided to try a different tactic.

"Oh well…" He said loudly, making sure she could hear. "I thought Foxy was here but I guess she isn't. That's too bad, I wanted to give her this gift-"

"-Gift?" A voice whispered into his ear from behind, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin before he whipped around toward the sound. Standing there was Foxy, laughing hysterically in her damaged voice at seeing his reaction.

"Yeah, yeah. Real funny." Dustin said before letting out a sarcastic laugh.

"I-It… Was..!" Foxy choked out through her laughter as she clutched at her sides. Even though it was at his expense, Dustin smiled sincerely at seeing her laugh. It was a glimpse at what she could eventually become with support and a little time.

"Fine, I guess I'll just take my gift elsewhere then." Dustin jokingly said as he turned toward the curtains and began slowly walking toward them. However, he stopped when he heard a soft whimper coming from behind him. Turning to look back, he could see Foxy looking at him with an expression of heartbreak on her face, her ears lowered and tail drooping to the floor.

"Foxy?" He asked as he turned completely around, "What's wrong?"

"Y-you said… That y-y-you were l-leaving…" She said with a sniff as she looked down.

Suddenly Dustin felt terrible as he realized what was going on. She was still consumed by the fear of being left alone, and must have thought that her prank had seriously made him want to leave.

_I have to be more careful with her_, he thought. _She's only just starting to come out of her shell- I don't want to scare her into going back in completely._

"I was only joking Foxy… I didn't mean to scare you like that." He said as he walked a few steps closer to her.

"So… Y-you're not going t-t-to leave?" She asked, lifting her head so that her hopeful eyes met his.

"Of course not," Dustin answered as he gave her a warm smile. "I haven't even given you your gift yet."

She sniffed and tilted her head at him, her golden eyes flicking from his face to the box he held in his right hand.

"You _do_ want it, don't you?" he asked with a smile. In response she nodded her head enthusiastically, showing exactly how much she did so. He chuckled before holding the box out for her to take. She hesitated at first, looking from his face to the box as if confirming that it was really ok to take it. Then she reached out with her good hand, picking up the box then propping it on her hook as she slowly opened the top.

As soon as the contents were revealed to Foxy she let out a loud gasp, her eyes widening as she stared down at what was just given to her. She then looked up at Dustin, who gave her an encouraging smile. She shifted her focus back down to the box in her hands, shakily reaching inside of it before she pulled the mechanical part out. For a moment she just stood there, holding it up into the light flooding from the part in the curtains as if it were an illusion.

"Th-this is… H-h-how did y-you get this?" She asked, her worn voice barely above a whisper.

"I got it from Mr. Fazbear in return for working here longer." He answered. "I figured you missed your voice… So I got it back for you."

Then she gave him a look that was worth all of the terror and pain that led up to him retrieving the part. Her eyes sparkled with joyous tears as a small but grateful smile rested on her lips. She pulled the part tightly to her chest, holding it there with an indescribable fondness.

"T-thank you…" She said.

"No problem." He replied with a smile. "Though I don't know how to install it…"

She looked at him curiously before giggling to herself. She then proceeded to gently set the part down on a nearby crate before reaching back into the box and pulling out the paper booklet. Opening it with her hook, she skimmed through the pages before pausing on one in particular and quickly reading it. In mere seconds she nodded contently and set the booklet back before picking the part back up and inspecting it. Dustin watched this in amazement, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"You can read too?"

Without taking her eyes off the object she gave him a brief 'mm-hmm' as if it were no big deal.

"But how?" He asked.

"I-I've always known a little bit-t." She answered as she rotated the part in her hands. "S-since being in here I've had a lot of t-t-time to p-practice…"

This also astounded him- she was probably forced to read shipping orders and labels on crates since he doubted that books ever made their way into the Cove. He wondered how bored someone must be to practice reading on such things, then remembered that she really hadn't had much else to do for the last several years. A familiar sense of guilt struck him, before he heard her speak again.

"I c-can put it-t in." She said as she set the box down but kept the part in her hand.

"Really? Even with your hook?" Dustin asked.

"Y-yes… I'm used t-to it." She answered.

"But won't it be kind of difficult on your own?"

"A little b-bit…" She answered sheepishly. "And-d uncomfortable."

"Then I'll help you." He said with a smile.

"N-no!" She answered quickly, her eyes wide in surprise and fear- though he had no idea why.

"Come on, it can't be that hard." He replied with a chuckle. "Believe it or not I'm not completely useless."

"I-it's not t-that…" She said a lot more quietly, averting her eyes. Dustin cocked an eyebrow in response, not understanding the issue.

"Then what is it?"

A blush spread across her cheeks as she still refused to make eye contact. After a second of silence she answered.

"I-it's… Personal." She said softly.

Dustin's eyes widened as he finally understood the line that he had crossed but never seen- installing the part meant actually going beneath her exterior. He thought about how one would go about doing that in the first place, but stopped when he decided he didn't want to know.

"Oh… Ok. Well I'll be right here if you need me for anything."

She nodded at him before turning and walking into the darkness of the Cove, ducking behind some crates for privacy. For several minutes it was silent and Dustin let his thoughts wander. He still didn't understand the animatronics as much as he wanted to- for example, how could Foxy put off body heat or cry? He thought about it for a while, before he remembered something that Fritz had mentioned earlier that day:

"_A lot of work was put into keeping their unique animal characteristics, while also making them as close to human as possible_."

In some sort of indirect way that answered his questions regarding the physical and bodily capabilities of the animatronics. As for the mental and emotional mysteries, like how Foxy obviously had feelings and could teach herself to read, he assumed it had to do with the life that he saw in her eyes. Somehow she had a soul, and therefore she was bound to the same aspects of life as everyone else. If that was the case, then were the other animatronics the same way? After all, Freddy had been able to express hatred through words and action, and the girls were also seemingly deadset on catching him. Either way, those three animatronics definitely weren't like Foxy from what he had seen so far. In the end Dustin decided to ask Foxy herself about all of this, though that would have to wait for another time.

After a long, suspenseful pause Dustin saw a familiar shadow rise from behind a few distant crates and start making its way toward him. He was excited to see how the new part would affect her, but was a little worried about her doing it all on her own- what if something went wrong?

As she walked into the soft light beaming from the curtains she stopped, looking at Dustin with an expectant expression.

"Well?" He asked, unable to take the anticipation. "Did it work?"

She tilted her head at him for a second before looking at the ground silently. Dustin began to worry, until she looked back up, a large smile on her face.

"…You tell me."

Her voice… It was perfect. There was no audio glitching, and the sound quality was crystal clear. Otherwise it sounded just as it had before, soft and feminine with a melodic tone. Dustin sighed in relief before he laughed out of happiness for her- and she did the same. For several moments they both just laughed as Foxy repeated the same phrase over and over again:

"I can talk! I can talk!"

After they had calmed down a bit Dustin looked at her with a grin on his face.

"I'm really glad that it worked out for you. How's it feel?"

She held a hand up to her throat and rubbed the red fur there. "It feels great… I'm so happy."

Dustin was about to say something else, but was cut off when something soft and warm suddenly rammed into him, nearly knocking him over. He caught himself and looked down to see Foxy, who was hugging him with a blush and a small smile. He was too surprised to hug back, and wouldn't have had the time to anyway. Just as soon as it had started, Foxy had ended the hug and went back to testing her vocalizations enthusiastically, saying random syllables and humming musical scales. He smiled, but then noticed a wet feeling against his chest. Looking down, he gasped as he saw a pink liquid covering his jacket and shirt. He looked up to ask Foxy about the substance, but noticed the same liquid covering her neck and chest.

"Uh… Foxy?" He asked, "What's that stuff all over your neck?"

"Huh?" She temporarily halted the tongue twister she was reciting before looking down and back up at him.

"Oh, that's my blood." She answered simply.

"Oh ok- wait, your _blood?_" He asked, dumfounded. "You have _blood_?"

"Well… Not literal blood. It's basically a mixture of ultra-light oil and a bloodlike compound that keeps my systems cool and running smoothly."

And just like that she returned to savoring her voice, as if the fact that a robot could bleed was perfectly normal. Dustin, on the other hand, was shocked into silence.

_Wow_, he thought. _Fritz_ _really wasn't kidding… These things are almost too human_. Then another realization hit him.

"Wait… Isn't it bad if you're bleeding? Shouldn't we, you know, stitch it up or something?"

"Already have." Foxy answered. "You left your stitching kit here yesterday… I hope it's ok that I kept it."

Dustin chuckled and shook his head. "No, you can have it. Hopefully I won't need it anymore."

Then he looked up through the grimy skylight above. It was dark past the dirt film, though he didn't know what time it was exactly.

"Hey Foxy, can you tell what time it is?" He asked. "I don't want to be late for my shift."

She too looked up, before her ears perked toward the curtains. After a few seconds she answered.

"Hmm… It's quiet- after 10."

Dustin hummed as he weighed his options. He could stay here with Foxy for a bit longer and watch her try out her voice, or he could play it safe and head for the office. Since so much was new there he would have plenty to check out before the other animatronics became active. In the end he decided that it would be wise to head out now and leave Foxy to her voice for the night. He noticed that since she had her voice repaired she was a lot less shy and more interactive, though he guessed that once the initial excitement of having her voice back had faded she would return to being reclusive- though hopefully not too much so.

"Hey Foxy, I think I should get going for my shift." He said after a few more minutes of watching her talk and hum to herself in amusement. "The security office just got renovated, so I have to go make sure I know where everything is and how to use it."

She paused and looked at him, her eyes saddening for a moment.

"Oh... ok." She answered disappointedly.

He smiled softly at her as he turned for the curtains.

"I'm sure you have a lot that you want to try out with your voice, right? After all, you two have a lot of caching up to do."

That seemed to make her cheer up a bit. She giggled and nodded at him.

"Good," He said with a chuckle. "You do that and I'll be back before you know it."

"Promise?" She asked with a childlike seriousness. Dustin paused.

"… I promise." He answered. She smiled at him.

"Bye Dustin."

"See you soon Foxy."

And with that, he walked out of the Cove through the curtains and turned toward his office. As he walked away he could faintly hear a song being sung softly from behind him:

"_Do, de dum do dum dum de, yes sir 'tis a pirate's life for me._"

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**Well, I am officially completely exhausted. I wrote all of this chapter, as well as about 90% of the last one, all today for a consecutive writing time of over 8 hours. On the bright side, it looks like this story is beginning to attract some attention- It was at about 5,000 views the last time I checked. I'm still determined to keep improving and make this story to the best of my ability, and won't rest until I do so! Well... Actually sleep sounds pretty amazing right now.**

**You guys know the drill, please review if you feel up to it.**

**Thanks guys!**

**-Startersoverlegends**


	11. The Deception

**Hey guys, It's me again XD I'm sorry if my frequent updates for this story are spamming your alerts, but I really want to put as much into this story as I can while I'm still in this wave of motivation. Any writer can tell you that when it comes to fan fiction, getting a lot done while you're still motivated is really important.**

**Whew... I meant to get this chapter done a lot earlier today, but I had a job interview that pushed it back considerably. On the bright side, I got the job :D On one hand, it means less time to write, but on another it means money so... XD**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

***Warning... First bit of 'M' rating writing. Nothing too bad, but just know that there is some sexual material ahead.***

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I arrived at my office and immediately crossed over to the chair to check the time on the new tablet. To my relief it was only a little after 11, meaning that I had nearly an hour to check out the room's features and think before I was dumped back into the horror that was Freddy Fazbear's at night. It was funny to think that as a kid my greatest dream was to somehow stay in the building with the animatronics overnight, while now I would give almost anything to be safely outside of the Pizzeria's doors. I guess that meant that I had learned one of life's biggest lessons: always be careful what you wish for.

I flopped down in the seat and switched the tablet to camera mode to check on the rest of the restaurant. By now a lot of the building's hallways and rooms were dark for the night, but the entrance area and show room usually remained lighted until a bit closer to 12 in case the cleaning staff or Mr. Fazbear were still wrapping up with their day. As I switched between the feeds I heard the generator whir to life from within the black box under the desk and smiled. It was good to know that, with the right conservation of power, I could actually stay in the office overnight if I wanted to. Where before it was only mostly a plan-B or a temporary lean-to, this room was now the cornerstone of my defense as a night guard.

After checking all of the secondary camera feeds I switched over to the one monitoring the Show Stage. Through the screen I could see Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica lit up by the spotlights that I knew would automatically shut off soon. I took a moment to observe them in what I called their "daytime modes", before I would have to spend the next several hours facing their terrifying night forms. Looking at them now, however, it was hard to imagine them as anything other than friendly characters from a child's imagination. Their eyes were bright and full of color, each of them with a look of peace on their slightly cartoonish face. Even while they were perfectly still in their sleep modes they portrayed a sense of energy that made you almost expect them to spring to life at any moment-

Suddenly there was movement on the screen, just as I was beginning to take my eyes off the image. I quickly looked back down at the tablet but there they were, just as still as before.

_You must be seeing things_, I thought as I rubbed my eyes. _They don't become active again until 12, there's no way they could be moving yet._

But as I pulled my hands away and looked back down I quickly realized that something was wrong. They weren't staring ahead as lifeless robots- nor were their eyes bright and friendly like they had been a minute ago. Instead, all three of them had their heads turned toward the camera, glaring with hate as their mouths hung open to reveal three sets of unique- yet equally terrifying- teeth. Bonnie with her standard but dangerous teeth, Freddy's large and blunt set, and Chica's horrifying double- maw, the outer set similar to Bonnie's while the back row was sharp and vicious.

I flinched in surprise and terror, sending the tablet flying through the air. For a moment I fumbled with the device before catching it and quickly doing a double-take on what I had just seen. The same image flashed before me, then it flickered and the screen went dark.

"_What_? Nonononononono!" I said as I panicked, tapping rapidly on the screen for some sort of response. When none came I figured that the tablet had crashed, but the map hub was still visible in the corner. After ensuring that the tablet indeed worked by switching to other camera feeds, I frantically looked for an answer that would explain what just happened.

It took several seconds for me to recover from the shock of having a camera go out, and even longer for me to wrap my head around why it would cut out like that in the first place. Then I realized something- maybe the camera wasn't the issue, but what it was aimed at. Until now the source of lighting for that feed was the spotlight focused on the stage, but it actually wasn't odd for the light to go off on its own seeing as it was on a timer. I checked the time to back up my hypothesis, but sure enough it was 11:30 on the dot. That seemed like a pretty safe standard time for the lights to go down at. But if that was the case then why had the infrared not kicked in and allowed me to see in the dark?

As if to answer my question the feed suddenly burst to life, a green haze covering the show stage and its surroundings. Instantly I realized that there must be a delay between when the lights go off and the night vision on the camera activates. Before now I hadn't noticed since I had no need to check the cameras until 12.

But tonight- for some insane, impossible reason- that wasn't the case. Why?

Because all three of the animatronics were gone.

I instinctively checked the door lights, the action lighting up the halls through each doorway and window alike. Nobody had managed to get to me yet, but my adrenaline was already pumping as the familiar feeling of dread rose from a pit in my stomach.

"They shouldn't be out yet!" I kept repeating to myself as I checked each of the cameras for my pursuers. It was only 11:30, so why were they already on the move!? It shattered what I thought I knew about them and changed the rules completely from what I was used to. But how did they do it? They were supposed to remain inactive from 10 to 12. They were supposed to be in sleep mode!

In the distance I heard a deep laugh and snapped my head upward, facing toward the sound. That stupid laugh was quickly becoming my least favorite noise.

"Screw you Freddy," I yelled out as I quickly checked the door lights again. "Why can't you be a normal bear and prevent wildfires!?"

I returned to the cameras with a huff and flipped through several feeds before I finally spotted the two female animatronics. They were in a large room that served as the main party area, characterized by rows of tables covered with party hats and balloons. The room split off two ways- one that led directly to the hall outside my right door, while the other detoured through several other rooms before coming out on the hall to my left. Strangely enough the two weren't being mobile, and I paused as I realized that I never saw them actually move through the cameras.

_Maybe they're shy around their victims_, I thought to myself with slight amusement before switching feeds to look for Freddy. After a while with no success I sighed- why did I even try with him? Unlike the other two he was very adept at not being seen when he didn't want to be. Still, I was convinced that I could pick up some trace of him with enough time.

In the distance I heard the slow chimes of the grandfather clock striking 12, reminding me that unfortunately time was one thing I didn't have to spare.

After giving up on looking for the bear I unconsciously reached over and hit the door light to my left. The movement was so automated by now that I nearly returned to the cameras right away as I was used to doing. If so, I surely would have been caught by the animatronic rabbit that stood there, attempting to enter the room. Luckily for me though, my reflexes were on peak performance, fueled by the adrenaline in my veins and the constant paranoia that resided in the back of my mind. I caught sight of the animatronic before it could get inside, and quickly slammed the side of my fist against the 'door' button. Without even a second to spare the metal barrier slammed into its place between me and my would-be killer, resulting in an aggravated howl coming from the other side of the wall.

Once my mind had caught up with the moment and I realized what had just happened, my heart jumped and I leaned back into the chair with breaths that were suddenly much more rapid.

_I must be getting good at this…_ I thought as I went back to the cameras. '_well, practice does make perfect_.' Some part of my mind answered. I frowned at how sadly true that was.

On the tablet I found Chica starting down the hall on my right, though she was far enough away that I felt comfortable with leaving the door on that side open for now. I found it interesting that Bonnie got to me faster, despite her having more distance to cover.

_I guess it's true, what they say about rabbits being fast…_ I thought as I did another round of checking the cameras. Then I set the tablet down to catch my breath, a break that I really needed since I was still recovering from the scare I had received. As I did so I let my eyes scan the room in front of me, until I got to the window and noticed something interesting. On the other side was Bonnie, though she didn't look as menacing as she had a moment ago. She stared at the window; her head tilted ever so slightly- however she wasn't looking _through_ it, just at it. It seemed almost as if she was confused by its very presence. I smirked as I got an idea and stood up, walking over to the window and looking through it at her. It was a little risky, I knew, but I had faith in Fritz's promise that the windows were sturdy.

As soon as I was on the other side of the glass as her, Bonnie seemed to snap out of her daze and glared at me, her eyes returning completely to their dark state. I just stared back with a smirk on my face, which only seemed to aggravate her more. Suddenly she rammed into the window, beating and clawing at the glass furiously for several seconds- though the barrier only marginally shuddered throughout the entire onslaught. Finally she must have realized that she was getting nowhere, because she stopped attacking and backed away with a dangerous hiss. I stepped forward and yelled to her through the glass.

"Sorry, but you won't be getting in through the window. You see, it's made of plexiglass." I knocked on the material to emphasize its integrity. "You can keep at it all night, but you aren't getting into this room."

She scowled at me from the other side of the wall, a low mechanical growl barely audible from where I was. I puffed my bottom lip out in a pout and traced a tear falling from my eye before laughing and walking back to my seat. Was I getting a bit cocky? Probably. Was it worth it? Definitely. Once I sat down I occupied myself with checking the other door light and monitoring the camera feeds. Chica was still at the far end of the hall, which honestly confused me.

_Is she even coming after me_? I thought to myself as I inspected her through the feed. The whole time she just stood there, staring down the hall toward my office. It was a bit odd but maybe it wasn't a bad thing. After all, I didn't mind having one less animatronic to worry about.

The only thing more unsettling than the chicken staring wistfully at my right doorway was the bunny staring at me through the window on my left. As I went about my business I could always see her out of my peripheral vision, just standing there and watching me. Once or twice I shot a quick glance up at her, met by a pair of bright green eyes as she observed me. She didn't seem hostile at this point, just… interested. It reminded me of how I had acted when I was able to discern her for the first time. Was she really that fascinated with me? Or was she just looking for a flaw to catch me with? It was hard to tell what was going on behind those energetic eyes and twitching bunny ears.

"I'm sorry but… You're still not getting in." I said to her without taking my eyes off of the tablet. "I don't care how you act now; I've seen what your motive is. _Nothing_ is going to make me open that door with you there."

I quickly checked my power usage. Fritz was right- the office's generator really helped to lessen how quickly I chewed through power. However, the door constantly being closed was starting to take a chunk out of what I had. There was about 65% left, with a little more than three hours remaining. Was it enough to get me through the night? If things stayed like this, then probably. But if Chica ever got close enough that I had to close the other door I could be in some serious trouble.

I stayed on the tablet now that it didn't affect my power usage nearly as much as it had previously, but looked up when I heard a soft knock on the window. Bonnie was still there, her presence made clear as the light from inside the office shone through the window and onto her. Though now she had her right hand placed softly against the glass as she continued to look at me with that same expression that made me feel as though she was assessing me. Upon closer inspection I realized that the hand she had against the glass was the same one that I had dented with the flashlight the other night. It was so odd, but… was she trying to make me sympathize with her? If so, then by some little thread of my humanity it was working.

"What? What do you _want_ from me?" I asked her.

She tilted her head slightly as she leaned forward, pressing herself against the window.

I sighed. "Look… Just go. Please? You've been staring at me for hours. I'm nothing special, I'm just a man like any other."

I hadn't known it at the time, but I would soon regret those words. As soon as I said 'man' her eyes widened slightly, as if she had just realized something. I shook my head and returned to the cameras. Still no Freddy, though now Chica had moved backwards to the previous room. Why? I didn't have the slightest idea. It possibly could have been a new strategy, but to me it just looked like wandering. I did a routine check of the open door light then turned back to see if Bonnie was still there. When I had, I found that her expression had once again changed- and to the last thing I could have expected.

Her other hand was now pressed up against the glass as she stared at me, but her eyes… Something had shifted in them. Now instead of curious interest there was an intense longing that she wasn't even trying to hide from me. She licked her lips and panted softly as her half-lidded gaze met mine, and I paled. I quickly lowered my eyes to the tablet, pretending to be focused on the cameras… But I could still see her out of the corner of my eye. Now she was moving behind the window, but I couldn't see what she was doing.

_Don't look_, I thought to myself as I absentmindedly cycled cameras for the umpteenth time. _Who knows what she's up to- just don't look._

This worked surprisingly well, and after a few minutes I had almost forgot about her as I absorbed myself in trying to find Freddy. However, a sound caught my attention and I looked up out of habit. What I saw when I did so was perhaps the very definition of 'upping the ante'. She was swaying her hips now, slowly and methodically. As she moved I realized that she now had the top half of her body pressed tightly against the glass, her tongue now lulling slightly out of her mouth as she presented herself to me. I felt my face grow extraordinarily hot and quickly looked away.

It reminded me of a situation in a novel I had once read. In it, the main character was the last human in existence while everyone else was turned into a vampire by some virus. At night the vampires would surround his house and try to lure him out by using commands, threats, taunts, and yes, sex appeal. Every night the female vampires would present themselves to him, using lewd poses to try to get him to cave in and come outside. Even though he wasn't attracted to the vampires and knew it was a trap, he found himself nearly unable to resist the temptation as his common sense wrestled with his urges.

Right now I could really relate to how that man felt.

I was blushing terribly now, trying not to think about the suggestive movements of the animatronic outside of my window. I forced my eyes to stay focused on the screen in my lap, but I couldn't process any of the information on it. My vision kept sliding toward the window as I heard various parts of her body bump and rub on the glass.

_Get a grip man_, I thought. _It's a trap and you know it- she's just trying to lure you out, like bait on a hook._

Still, it was nearly impossible to keep my gaze away from the window- and even more so my thoughts. On the outside I was mostly calm and collected. On the inside, however, my mind was a warzone:

_Remember what Fritz said: keep a clear head_. I would remind myself.

'_Yeah, but he wasn't talking about a situation like this._' another part of me argued.

_It's not safe and you know it. _

'_Still, look at her- She wants you. Why not have some fun?_'

_That's sick!_

'_Do you really think so?'_

_Well… I mean…_

'_Just take a peek. Then you can decide what to do.'_

_Just… A peek? But…_

'_Come on, you can't deny that you want this.'_

_Do I? Or is that just what my body wants?_

I grabbed the sides of my head and let out an annoyed growl. This whole situation was ridiculous, and yet I couldn't help but stare at Bonnie as she danced and swayed and pressed herself against the window in various vulgar poses. Why did they have to give her curves? Why was I so enticed by her actions?

Why was she still outside the window?

… Why wasn't I outside with her?

Bonnie must have noticed that her tactics were working, because she suddenly sped up her attempts to make me break. Her hips swayed and bucked as she would bend over or stretch, always making sure to fuel the part of me that ached to open that door. She then pressed herself against the glass, one hand against it as the other trailed down her furry belly…

The argument in my head escalated to a roar, my muscles clinching as I watched her attempt at seducing me. Right fought with wrong and morality fought with desire. Surely I would go crazy if I kept this up, trying to form a definitive response while controlling the part of me that this killer desire stemmed from-

"_Enough!_" I suddenly roared, throwing my head back and digging my nails into the chair's armrests. Bonnie jumped a little at the sudden outburst, but it wasn't aimed at her. I shook my head, trying to clear it of the thoughts that were born from bodily influence.

"It won't work. I won't let it." I said, staring down at the tablet in my lap. After a few seconds I looked back up, remembering that if I slacked on my job it could get me killed. I checked the open door light and peeked out into the hall, but nothing was there. With a soft hum I leaned back into the room and looked over at the opposite window- but Bonnie was gone.

It was a major relief, even if I was a bit suspicious. I began to reach for the 'door' button, but then heard something approaching and pulled back. Just as soon as I did Bonnie returned, but this time she wasn't alone. She had also brought Chica, and the two wasted no time in pressing themselves against the glass, each giving me their best bedroom eyes as they did so.

And so the cycle restarted, with them moving and posing all while trying to break my resolve. However, this didn't go on for nearly as long before I couldn't take it anymore.

Shakily I got to my feet and crossed over to the window in front of the two animatronics. Once I was there they only tried harder, bonnie tracing small circles on the glass with her tongue while Chica lifted her bib so that she was showing off more of her figure to me. I shuddered as my face heated up again before I looked at the two with a mischievous smirk.

"You know what?" I asked softly.

Both of them leaned in closer, their eyes dripping with hunger and excitement. I looked at each in-turn before reaching over to the 'door' button with my left hand, hovering my palm just over the switch. Then I leaned in so that my face was within an inch of the glass, both of them mirroring the action. I took a breath before answering, letting them anticipate what they knew was coming next.

Only they didn't know.

"You're not my type." I said coolly, stepping back away from the window. Both of their eyes widened in shock as I did so, and I gave them a sheepish shrug in a 'sorry' manner before turning for my chair.

Suddenly It was like someone had flipped a switch. At seeing all of their effort go to waste the two went berserk, pounding at the window madly and letting out an array of mixed screeches and roars. The glass shuddered at its base as they did so, but I knew that they weren't getting through. I turned on the tablet and checked the the time, smiling widely when a large 5 greeted me.

"Perfect!" I said before checking the cameras, but had to quickly slam the other door shut when the feed from the hall to my right was blocked completely. I had finally found Freddy. Once the doorway had been closed off there was another roar, deeper and more guttural than the others, followed by several powerful impacts against the steel door.

I figured out that Freddy must have been sneaking toward me once the girls had me distracted- though how he knew what they were up to was beyond me. That wasn't important now though, since I only had about half an hour to go with 20% power left over. The only way they would be able to get to me now would be if they tore the very walls down, though judging by their reactions I could see that they would do just that if they were able.

I leaned back in my chair and relaxed, trying to ignore the mechanical cries coming from outside as I waited out the clock. I hadn't felt this confident in my safety since I started working here- though I knew that I easily could have been caught had I not been able to leave one of the doors open for most of the night. I was safer than before, but still in danger and I knew that remaining cautious was the key to my prolonged survival.

Finally the room began to quiet down as it neared 6 AM. It started with the left side when Bonnie gave up for the night and left, followed by Chica a few minutes later. Freddy was the last to leave, continuing to pound on my door until around 5:55. Then, with one last growl from the other side of the wall, he too sauntered off toward the Show Stage. As the sound of the morning bells chimed I checked how much power I had left to spare, and was a little scared when I saw that I was down to just 3%. It had cut much closer than I expected, though it made sense. Fritz had warned me that the doors were the most demanding of my defenses, yet I was forced to use them for most of the night to prevent getting caught.

I was shaken from my thoughts as I heard Mr. Fazbear unlock the front doors. However, I remained seated as I replayed and analyzed all that had taken place in the last several hours in my mind. After letting everything sink in I decided to save the thought for later and got ready to leave.

"Well… _that_ was interesting." I said to myself as I stood up and stretched. "…But I made it through everything. I'm still alive."

_Alive_. The word that pulled me back into reality after a seemingly impossible night was completed. I shook my head and chuckled to myself as I opened both of the doors and walked out into the hallway. Of course my head was still buzzing with questions, like '_how did the animatronics activate early?'_, or '_how could Bonnie figure out something like a human male's urges and use them to gain an advantage_?'. Honestly, the list of questions that I had regarding Freddy Fazbear's was now long enough to last me a lifetime and then some. However, there was one thing that I _did _know for sure:

"Four nights down, one night at Freddy's to go."

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**Well, it's 1:30 in the morning and I'm more than a little brain-dead at the moment. Started writing this at like 6:30 and didn't stop until it was completed. Tomorrow I'll probably go through and poke a million holes in this chapter to edit, so this probably won't be the last update for this part of the story.**

**By the way- the book reference, as well as the inspiration for a lot of this chapter, comes from I AM Legend. No, I don't mean the movie with Will Smith... I mean the 1954 novel by Richard Matheson. If you haven't read it, I recommend it to any fan of the Horror or Apocalyptic Survival genres. **

**Thanks to TheGrunt22 and Goldenstreak1 for your reviews. Oh, and also the two Guests who left me their thoughts- you guys da real MVP's!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	12. The Decision

**Hey guys, here's a new chapter for you all. I must say, this story has been growing by leaps and bounds, and I'm so grateful to all of you for your support. Just a couple of days ago it nearly achieved 1,000 views in 24 hours, which is very impressive as far as I'm concerned. **

**Happy author note aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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Before going home for the day Dustin decided to stop by Pirate Cove to see how Foxy was doing with her new voice. She had been over the moon about it yesterday, and he honestly couldn't blame her. After spending who-knows-how-long muted by vocal malfunction, being able to talk and sing again must have been surreal for her. As he turned toward the curtains to her dwelling he paused to look back at the already busy entrance area to make sure that nobody was following him. He realized that he was acting a little paranoid, but also found it imperative that Mr. Fazbear didn't find out about his visits with Foxy. If he did, who knows what his reaction might be- after all, he didn't seem too fond of the fox animatronic as it was.

"Knock-knock," Dustin said as he pulled the curtains open and stepped inside. "Anyone home?"

There was a giggle from the darkness before a feminine voice answered.

"That depends- who's there?"

"I think you already know the answer to that," he replied with a chuckle. "So, O great Foxy, won't you come out so I can see you on this fine morning?"

"Hmm… I don't know. It's kind of fun to make you look for me." She answered after a thoughtful pause.

"Oh really?" he asked as he casually walked over to a group of crates before quickly checking behind them for the fox. "And why is that?"

"…Because you still don't realize that I'm right behind you."

The sudden whispering in Dustin's ear caused him to jump and spin around, only to find her already laughing at his expense like she had the night before. Only now her laughter sounded much healthier through her new voice.

"Gah! Stop doing that to me!" he said as he attempted to ward off the de ja vu that he was feeling. "You're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days!"

She suddenly became really serious, ending her laughter instantly and looking at him with concern heavy in her golden eyes. Dustin quickly realized his mistake and reminded himself that he couldn't say things like that around her yet; she had been opening up to him considerably more lately, but the fear and overall social timidity was still there. Doing his best to control the damage that the joke had caused, he spoke up again.

"I was joking, I don't really mean that." he assured her with a small smile.

"You shouldn't joke about something like that," She said in a pout, crossing her arms. "You scared me."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But honestly, if I were to have a heart attack then it would have happened by now. This place has definitely given me its best shot."

A small smile came to her lips but she still looked a little concerned.

"Well… Just try not to let that happen ok?" She asked.

"Ok, I'll do my best." He answered with a chuckle.

She seemed to cheer up a little more at that, so Dustin decided to try to start a conversation with her.

"So how is the voice working for you?" He asked.

"It's great!" She said with a big smile. "I used it all night while you were away."

"I figured you might." he chuckled, but stopped when he noticed that her jaw had suddenly dropped out of its normal spot and now hung loosely from the rest of her head. However, it didn't look intentional and she had to reach up to manually lift it back into the hinge where it belonged.

"Hey Foxy… Is something wrong with your mouth?" he asked, then as an afterthought added: "No offense, by the way."

She tilted her head curiously at the guard, which only caused her jaw to fall once more.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I mean… Your jaw keeps falling down like that." he answered, gesturing at it. She blushed and quickly lifted it back into place before answering.

"It has always done this… Just a lot more since last night."

It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize the cause. Like Foxy said, she had been using her voice all night, which entailed moving her mouth. The movement shook the loosened jaw and caused it to fall more often. Dustin frowned at the thought.

"Doesn't it bother you?" he asked.

"A little bit… But I'm used to it." She responded casually. Then she walked over to a nearby crate and hopped up to sit on it, her joints creaking terribly as she did so. Dustin shuddered at the sound and suddenly felt terrible- even though he was happy that she had her voice back, the rest of her was still in obvious disrepair.

_I wish there was something I could do about that…_ he thought to himself as he scratched his chin thoughtfully. For a moment he just stood there, thinking about ways he could somehow repair the rest of the fox. After all, she had repaired him when he was in need… But there was something else. It didn't feel like a mandatory debt that he had to pay, rather an actual desire that he had to help her. But why?

"Dustin? Are you ok?"

"Huh?" he snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at her.

"You just got really quiet…" She answered as she slowly kicked her legs off the side of the box.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he answered, shaking the thought away before walking over to her. "Mind if I join you?"

She shook her head and smiled kindly in response, so Dustin climbed up and sat beside her. For a moment the two of them just sat there quietly facing the part in the curtains. He couldn't help but wonder if this was what Foxy was used to doing every day- after all, what else was there for her here? Nobody came this far back into the restaurant, and the Cove was totally void of anything interesting that she could interact with. She didn't even have a window to look out of.

"So, what were you thinking about?" She asked, turning her head to look at him.

"Oh- nothing, really." He quickly answered.

He looked away casually but she could tell that he was hiding something.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He answered while rubbing the back of his head. In truth he was still trying to asses her- using what he knew and what he had been told to fill in the blanks of his knowledge. She eyeballed him for a moment, trying to get a glimpse into his thoughts but dropped the subject. After a couple of seconds passed Dustin decided that now might be a good time to ask her a question.

"Hey Foxy, do you know what it would take to repair you?" he asked. "You know, like your jaw and joints?"

She hummed thoughtfully to herself as she stopped kicking her legs.

"It's hard to say… my jaw probably just needs to have new fastens put in. And my joints… I've tried to groom myself well while I've been here, but they have been gathering rust for years. I can't get them cleaned by myself, no matter how hard I try."

Dustin studied her for a moment before shaking his head.

"When was the last time you were actually cleaned?" he asked in mild exasperation.

"I- I don't remember…" She answered. "It's been a long time."

Silence filled the room for several seconds as they both kept to their own thoughts. He was once more amazed and disappointed in the world for locking Foxy away as they had. Judging by the account that Mr. Fazbear had given him and the physical state that Foxy was in, he guessed that the last time she saw any actual cleaning or repair was before the second restaurant- meaning close to 10 years of rust buildup and degradation had occurred. Even if she had groomed herself every day during that time, it would still be too long for her to possibly prevent her current condition.

Foxy, however, wasn't worrying herself with what physical state she was in; Instead she focused on what had been happening to her recently, and how much better her life was since that guard had fallen through the vents a few nights ago. At the time she had acted on impulse and morality, healing him without the knowledge that he would come back the next day- and the one after that. She hadn't known that he was different than the other humans, that he would actually care about her and keep her company. But now he had become a spot of light that reached out to her in the darkness she had lost herself in- And the best part was that the light was getting brighter every day. At first she wasn't sure that she would ever see him again, but as he returned she found a part of herself awaken that had long since been suppressed by her situation. Her happiness had only grown since, and once he had returned her voice out of nowhere she realized that, maybe, he was what she had been wishing for throughout all those lonely and desperate years. However, there was only one way to tell for sure that he felt the same way.

"…Dustin?" She asked softly. He looked at her, and she blushed at what she was about to ask. She took a breath, and opened her mouth to continue when she was suddenly cut off-

"_Would Dustin Juniper report to the Main Entrance area please? Dustin Juniper, please report to the Main Entrance area_."

They both turned to look out the curtains, where the familiar sound of the PA speaker had resonated from. It was strange for them to call him over the intercom like that, and both couldn't help but wonder if something was wrong. After a second Dustin sighed.

"I guess I have to go…" He hopped down from the crate and dusted himself off before turning back toward Foxy. "Oh, what were you saying?"

She saw the inquisitive look in his hazel eyes and froze- what if he said no? What if she was wrong about him? The what-ifs piled up on her like bricks, preventing her from choking out what she had wanted to ask him so badly. The moment stretched and she panicked.

_Just say it_, she thought. _Quick, before he goes!_

"N-nevermind…" She answered. "I'll see you later?"

"Of course," He answered as his warm smile returned and greeted her. "Goodbye Foxy."

"Goodbye…" She said, her voice quiet as she looked down in disappointment of herself. Why couldn't she have just asked him then and there? Once he was gone she sighed to herself and got down from the crate.

_I'll ask him next time_, she decided. _No matter what happens_.

* * *

Dustin walked toward the front of the building, taking note of how fewer people seemed to be here than earlier this morning, which was strange given that it was only 7 now. Usually the crowd only became larger as the day progressed, leading him to wonder what was going on.

Once he had reached the entrance area he immediately caught sight of Mr. Fazbear leaning against the entry counter, checking his watch and tapping his foot nervously. Dustin quickly crossed over to the older man until Mr. Fazbear spotted him and let out a visible sigh of relief.

"Ah, Dustin… I'm glad to see you." He said as he met the guard with a weary smile. "Another few minutes and I was going to go check your office…"

"Why?" Dustin asked. "Did something happen?"

Mr. Fazbear looked around at the sparse parents and children roaming about and waved Dustin toward an empty corner a few feet away. Once there he dropped his voice to a whisper so that no one else could hear.

"It's the animatronics… They're not acting right." The older said as he shot a nervous glance toward the show stage. "I noticed that their behavior was off, and then didn't see you pass me like you usually do in the morning. I became worried that something had happened."

"What do you mean their behavior is off?" Dustin asked. Now some of Mr. Fazbear's nervous energy was beginning to infect him.

"Most people wouldn't notice it if they weren't here every day, which is why I'm leaving the place open for now… But they just don't seem right. They're more twitchy, and occasionally their voices will glitch and stutter. A few patrons have asked me about it and I just claimed they were due for repairs, but honestly I don't know what's going on."

Dustin paled, and couldn't help but wonder if their behavior was due to his besting them every night this week. After all, they seemed to become more difficult to deal with as each night passed, so it wasn't too crazy to assume that it effected how they acted during the day too.

"A lot of our initial customers left earlier too…" Mr. Fazbear continued. "About twenty minutes ago Freddy stopped performing mid-song, even though his programing absolutely prevents him stalling a performance."

"That's weird… why would he do that?" Dustin asked.

"I don't know, but that's not the worst of it. His eyes somehow transitioned from their daytime forms to his night sensors, which concerned a lot of people."

That was understandable. Dustin was pretty sure that when Mr. Fazbear said 'night sensors' he was referring to the terrifying black eyes that the guard had become all too familiarized with. Seeing Freddy's bright blue eyes suddenly change to empty black holes with a spot of white could easily freak anyone out.

"… Luckily his eyes changed back, but he keeps turning to look out of the show room's doors, and sometimes even at the security camera installed in there. The other two have been doing that as well… I don't know, I just get a bad feeling about it."

Dustin gulped as he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He knew exactly why they were looking at the camera- they were looking for _him_. A sinking feeling engulfed the guard as he realized that tonight could very well be his hardest yet- if not his last.

"Dustin? Are you feeling alright?" Mr. Fazbear asked concernedly. "You don't look too good."

"I- I'm ok…" Dustin said as a dizzy spell hit him. "I just need a break, is all…"

As soon as he said that he stumbled forward, falling against the wall with a thump as he lost his footing. Mr. Fazbear quickly lurched forward and caught him, shaking the now semi-conscious guard before ordering one of the daytime staff to bring a cup of water. Dustin managed to drink a bit before he could stand again, and Mr. Fazbear walked him to his office so that he could sit down. In a couple of minutes the younger had recovered almost completely and sat quietly in the chair with the water clutched in his hand. Mr. Fazbear eyeballed him for several minutes before anything was said, a genuine look of worry and conflict on his face. After a while he sighed and leaned back, mouthing words silently to himself before actually addressing Dustin.

"I can see that you're very stressed," Mr. Fazbear began, "and I can understand why. This week has probably been the longest and most tiring you've ever been through."

Dustin nodded his head in confirmation, and Mr. Fazbear closed his eyes while he let out a long exhale.

"Honestly, I hate seeing you go through this. I can't imagine the things you've been forced to do, and I won't try to tell you that everything is alright. However, I need you now more than ever. While the animatronics are acting like this it is essential to have somebody watching them, ensuring that the building is safe for guests the next day. No one else can do that right now, Dustin. You're the only one that I trust, but more than that, you are the only one who _I know _can pull through for me here."

He paused and reached into his pocket, pulling out a roll of fresh dollar bills. Immediately Dustin's interest peaked, and he looked from the money to the face of the man holding it with an inquisitive expression.

"This is the two hundred dollars that I was going to give you as compensation for the injuries you received earlier this week. Now, I wouldn't normally do this, but I feel that an advance is in order."

He held out the money toward Dustin, who hesitated before reaching forward and accepting the offer. Mr. Fazbear smiled a little before he continued.

"You'll get the rest of your paycheck tomorrow morning, after you've fulfilled your week here as night watchman. In the meantime, I want you to take that money and go relax. Spoil yourself. Do whatever it takes to help you recover from what happened earlier this week and prepare yourself for your shift tonight."

Dustin looked down at the bills in his hands and flipped through them, counting mentally in his head until he reached two hundred. His eyes widened- this was more money than he had ever held at one time. While he sat there in appreciative silence, Mr. Fazbear waited patiently before speaking up again.

"Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

Dustin looked up and nodded. Once more Mr. Fazbear smiled warmly while he visibly relaxed in his chair.

"Good. I'll see you at 6 o'clock tomorrow then."

Dustin paused, but again nodded before standing and walking toward the door to the office. Once outside he let it close behind him, never taking his eyes off of the money in his hands. Slowly he ran his thumb over the crisp texture and smiled to himself.

_This changes everything… _He thought as he absentmindedly walked toward the building's front doors. _There's so much I can do with this! I can go dine at a fancy restaurant instead having pizza again, or go sleep in a hotel, or buy a new phone, or_…

He froze. All it took was one image flashing through his mind to make all of those things seem selfish and unnecessary. He remembered how Foxy had looked that morning, with her bottom jaw hanging and her joints creaking terribly. He thought about all of those years she spent in disrepair and loneliness, never knowing for sure if someone would come to help her…

_He_ had chosen to be that person.

The guard stood there in the middle of the pizzeria, staring down at what had just been given to him as he realized that he now had a choice to make: spend the money on himself, or spend it on Foxy?

He sighed- there was no contest.

Tucking the bills into his front jean pocket, he walked out the front of the building and made a beeline for his car. Without a word he got in and drove off to a nearby gas station, where he filled the vehicle to the brim with precious fuel, before heading to the closest hardware store.

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**This chapter was definitely a struggle, not because I was lacking motivation but just because it is an in-between portion of the story that I hadn't fully planned out. The result was a couple of days worth of plot writing and review, in which any actual writing was slow and difficult. However, I managed to complete it by working on it here and there each day. I hope you cravers of horror and romance are ready, because these next few chapters are where things heat up considerably ;]**

**As usual, I encourage you to leave me a review and tell me what you think. Thanks to Zeil, ultima-owner, ThrashMetalMartin, and Rook 115 for the reviews they left for last chapter.**

**Thanks for reading guys!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	13. The Friend

**Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter for you all. Firstly, I want to apologize for the wait. A lot of you seemed pretty excited for a new chapter, and sadly that didn't happen nearly as quickly as I had hoped. This was due to my schedule taking a turn for the worst, leaving me with little free time and even less energy. However, I caught a minor break so here you all go ;] Oh, and I made this one extra long to make up for being late.**

**Oh, and just a minor piece of author news- This is now officially my longest story. Thank you all so much for supporting it and making it this far!**

**Anyway, Enjoy!**

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After several hours of searching through the hardware store Dustin had found and purchased an assembly of items that, in theory, could completely repair Foxy's body. They hadn't come without a heavy cost though- within mere hours the roll of fresh bills that the guard was given had diminished to absolutely nothing, leaving him just as broke as he had been before this morning. As he exited the large store he stared down at the goods in his shopping cart and grimaced. Two hundred dollars hadn't provided nearly as much as he had expected, made painfully clear as the shopping cart wasn't even half full with supplies.

When Dustin reached his car he opened the trunk and began stowing all that he had bought inside, taking the opportunity to assess everything: first off was a set of new fastens for Foxy's jaw. Obtaining these had been particularly tricky, since the store seemed to have millions of different shapes and sizes of them. Finally though, he had found a type that seemed nearly identical to those that Foxy was made with. The only problem was that they were an uncommon model of joint and thus were extremely expensive. The cashier had even mentioned that he was lucky to shop there because hardly anywhere else used or sold them.

Next were several cans of de-rusting solution. These were costly as well, as they were name brand and advertised to be hard on rust while gentle on any other material that the spray made contact with. There were many other less expensive types of this spray as well, though none of them had the same gentle guarantee as these, and Dustin didn't want to risk the spray potentially hurting Foxy or compromising her appearance in any way. For that peace of mind he was willing to pay the extra money per can.

Finally he threw in the cloth that he had bought to actually clean her with. It was made of a highly absorbent and sturdy material yet was still soft to the touch. He wasn't sure how physically sensitive Foxy was, but wanted to make sure that she was as comfortable as possible as he went about cleaning and repairing her. Content with his choices, he closed the trunk and got into the car.

"So… That was two hundred dollars…" He mumbled to himself once he was inside. Some part of him felt disappointed with not being able to spend it on himself, but another felt even happier to spend it on her. Just imagining Foxy's expression once she was able to both talk and move around normally was all it took to convince him that he had made the right choice already.

As he began to drive away from the store he thought about all of the questions that he still had in regards to both the company and its animatronics. Now that he was becoming comfortable around Foxy it was hard to remember that she was still an animatronic, and that it was impossible for her to have actual emotions like a person does. And yet, there was no doubt that she had them. She had shown him fear, sadness, insecurity, and regret already. These were a product of being shunned by the company, and in-turn the world, by being left to rot in some dingy storage room. However, as his time around her progressed she had also shown him positive feelings- hope, joy, compassion, and esteem. Of course she still needed some time to completely come out of her shell, and Dustin knew this. He could relate to how it felt to be tossed aside, and on her scale he had no idea how long it could take.

But however long it was, he would wait.

It all went back to that first day that he made contact with her. He remembered that look in her eyes- behind the teardrops and pain there was a spirit that was as real as any other. He saw a strong, kind Foxy in there somewhere, one that had been suppressed by the world but still held on somehow. It was amazing but equally undeniable… This animatronic truly was _alive_. How and why he didn't know in the slightest, but it hardly mattered. At this point his curiosity was trumped by his determination to save her from her situation and show her that there were still people who cared in the world.

That left the other three animatronics. Why were they so intent on killing him? Did they even know what they were doing? Were they alive like Foxy, or was their malicious intent merely based on bad programming? He thought about this for a moment, and several flashbacks ran through his head like a movie reel. He remembered that time when Freddy had spoken to him, merging preset dialogue to create the nearest thing comparable to demon speech. Even now it gave him the creeps just thinking about it. Then there were the other two…

Dustin's face reddened as he remembered that night after the upgrades. Bonnie and Chica had exploited the window and the fact that he was a male to try luring him out. Using their bodies like that… Swaying and grinding against the glass… Surely that wasn't a standard method of hunting the night guard. No, they had adapted to the situation and developed a way to attack their prey's weak points.

And it had nearly worked.

Dustin shook his head of the thought. No, he would never give in to them like that. Letting his lust push him right out the door and into his enemy's arms would be a stupid and pitiful way to get caught after all that he had gone through. However, the fact that they tried that tactic in the first place gave him a glimpse into their abilities. He now knew that they could react to a situation and change their behavior to fit it. He also knew that they could use teamwork to achieve a common goal, which would be touching if the goal wasn't to kill him.

As to if they were alive, he still didn't know. As smart as they seemed it still didn't mean that they had souls like Foxy did. He had seen Bonnie respond to physical damage as if she were hurt, but did she really feel pain? Or was that just some realistic programming that was installed in them to please the public? As strange as it sounded, that wouldn't surprise him.

Before he knew it Dustin was pulling back into the parking lot at Freddy's. He parked his car in front of the building but didn't get out for a minute as he wrapped up his thoughts. He sure had a lot of questions about this place, and without a doubt more were still to come. After all, it seemed like every time he decided that something was 'impossible' it turned out being just the opposite in this place, as if the restaurant itself was a completely separate reality from what he knew.

_Well, time to go see Foxy_. He thought as he got out of his car and circled back to his trunk. It was a little tough, but he managed to hold everything that he had bought on his own so he closed his trunk and headed for the front doors. After a long and difficult battle with the door he managed to kick it open without the use of his busied hands. Instantly he was met with the sound of laughter, though it wasn't the familiar giggling that came from the children- rather it came from the entrance staff as they had watched him struggling with the door.

"Hehe, hey Dustin," One girl said from behind the admittance counter. "Having some trouble I see."

He recognized her as one of the regular employees at the restaurant who always seemed to be working around the front counter. She seemed nice, and made a point to smile at him every time he passed. Usually he would return the expression, unless he was too tired or terrified from his shift to do so.

Her remark caused the other nearby staff to laugh harder, though Dustin gave them all an unamused expression.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny guys." He said in a monotone manner, "You just couldn't be bothered to open the door, could you?"

"Hey now, the kids aren't the only ones who need some entertainment around here." Another worker said as he leaned against a wall.

"Yeah, yeah." Dustin said, but cracked a smile at them all. "Still, you have to admit that my footwork was pretty impressive there."

"For someone with a messed up ankle, I guess." Another piped in. "How long have you been in that splint man?"

"Huh?"

Dustin looked down at his ankle and saw that his pant leg didn't fully conceal the wooden splint that Foxy had placed a few days ago. Honestly he had been in it for so long now that he almost forgot it was there at all.

"Oh, this. I've had it for a few days." He replied as he shifted the stack of supplies in his hands.

"It looks kinda sketchy man." The other replied.

"Yeah, did you make that yourself?"

"Uh- yeah. I didn't want to pay for a trip to the ER so I just threw this together." Dustin lied. As far as he was concerned, these guys didn't need to know about his visits with Foxy either. Honestly he wasn't even sure if they knew that the animatronics became living nightmares at night, since he hadn't seen any of them in the building after 10. Come to think of it the company probably had strict rules set regarding the staff being in the building after closing.

"Ah ok," The girl at the counter said. "So what's all that you're carrying?"

Dustin's eyes widened- he forgot about sneaking everything in! Of course it would look suspicious to just carry a bunch of hardware supplies through a kid's place, even if he was a member of the staff. He knew he had to come up with a lie, one that would ease any possible suspicion with the staff as well as keep his secret safe from Mr. Fazbear.

"O-oh, this? I don't really know actually. You see, uh, Mr. Fazbear asked me to bring in some maintenance supplies for the animatronics. No big deal really, just kind of restocking our supplies a bit."

"Oh, is that why you left with a bunch of money earlier?" The girl asked.

"Yeah, just making a run for the boss." He answered, hoping that they would really buy it.

"Ah ok. So what are those?" The guy leaning against the wall asked as he pointed at the package of fastens.

"T-these? Oh, well apparently Bonnie's hand is messed up or something. I guess these things will fix that."

Luckily they all seemed to buy his answer, as well as his feigned ignorance.

"Oh yeah, I noticed a dent in its hand earlier." One of them said, "Though if they were going to fix any of the animatronics I figured it would be Freddy. The thing's been shooting crap all morning, twitching and stuttering."

Dustin gulped- he almost forgot about that. Remembering that the animatronics had been acting up all morning caused the sinking feeling in his stomach to return stronger than ever. He felt like throwing up as his eyes drifted over to the doorway to the show room.

"Uh, Dustin? Are you alright?" The girl asked concernedly, "You seem kind of spacy."

"Wha? Oh yeah, yeah I'm fine." He answered as he shook his head. "I'm just going to run this to the storage room in the back real quick."

"Well… Do you need any help?" The girl said again, "I could come with you and-"

"No, that's alright." He gave her a small smile. "I've got it. Thanks though."

She gave a weak smile back but her eyes seemed unsure. Regardless he said his goodbyes to the staff and began making his way through the entrance area toward a familiar hallway. Once there he passed several party rooms with the smell of fresh pizza wafting out of them, as well as the varied sounds of restless children playing. He had never noticed before, but the closer he got to Pirate Cove there seemed to be less rooms in use. It made sense though- naturally Mr. Fazbear would want to keep patrons as far away from Foxy as possible after the mix-up in 1987. Seeing her still in the building today would undoubtedly spark a frenzy of enraged parents and media alike, which is far from what the company needed.

"But that raises the question…" Dustin muttered to himself as he walked, "Why did he keep her in the first place? It's a risky move for someone in his position…"

The guard thought it through as he walked toward the Cove, but couldn't find a logical answer to why Mr. Fazbear would hang onto Foxy then keep her in secret. Wouldn't it just be easier to scrap her and be done with it? Of course Dustin was glad that he hadn't, but any possible reasoning that the older man had just wasn't adding up.

"Oh well, another mystery I guess."

Finally he reached the faded purple curtains and stopped, looking both ways down the hall to ensure that no one could see him before slipping into the Cove silently. Once inside he adjusted the curtains to allow some light from the hall in, then turned to face the large room.

"Hey Foxy, I'm ba-"

"_Dustin_!"

"_Oof!_"

Something large and soft suddenly plowed into the guard, knocking him to the ground with a thud and sending the supplies that he was holding across the floor in a scatter. He saw stars for a moment, but quickly recovered to look down at the source and smiled. On top of him was Foxy, hugging him tightly as she nuzzled his neck with her nose. He could also see her red tail wagging happily over her shoulder.

"Woah, someone is affectionate today." He said with a chuckle as she ended her nuzzling assault to look down at him with her golden eyes.

"Of course! I didn't think you would be back this soon!" She said cheerfully.

"Well I guess I can't say I'm not missed," He joked. In response she shot him a close-eyed smile, then gave him another quick hug before rising to her feet. Dustin got up next, dusting off his jeans until he heard her voice.

"How did all of this stuff get here?"

He looked up and saw her tilting her head at the mess of spray cans, rags, and packaging that he had dropped on impact.

"Well, I was carrying it all before a furry red freight train hit me." He said with a smirk. She turned to him for a moment, then blushed and looked away.

"Sorry, I was just so excited to see you…" He heard her say softly.

"It's ok, I'm only joking." He answered with a chuckle. "Actually I didn't mind the hug- it shows that you're starting to warm up to me, right?"

She looked back at him, her face a few shades redder than usual, but didn't answer.

"Just, the next time that my hands are full could you do it a little… gentler?"

"I guess I could try," She said with a giggle.

"Good, because I might be carrying something important," He answered as he returned her smile. "Just like all of this is important."

She tilted her head at him curiously, causing her jaw to fall out of its place like it had this morning.

"So what is it?" She asked. He gestured to his chin and her eyes widened before she lifted her dislodged jaw back into its hinges.

"Why don't you look for yourself and tell me." He answered.

She hesitated, then nodded at him and walked over to a spray can. Crouching down she picked the canister up and studied it for a moment.

"… De-rusting solution? What's this for?"

"Just keep looking," He answered with a smile. She looked at him confusedly, then stood and walked over to a heap of rags and hummed. After a few moments she huffed and turned back to him.

"Can't you just tell me?" She asked in a wine, using her best puppy dog eyes to convince him. He chuckled- those eyes with her pout were tough to say no to, but he wanted to see her figure it out herself. Averting his eyes to save himself from the face she was making, he noticed the package of fastens lying on the ground a few feet away and smirked.

"I will, if you can tell me what those are." He answered while pointing at the package. She followed his gesture to a clear plastic bag on the ground and walked over to it, picking it up and studying the contents. It took a moment, but her sudden gasp told Dustin that she figured out what those were for.

"These fit the joints on my jaw..!" She said as she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Yes, they do." He answered.

"Then… All of this..?"

She turned and looked at all of the scattered cans and rags, then back at him.

"That's right." He said. "Foxy, how would you like to be repaired once and for all?"

She stared at him for a moment with her mouth slightly open and eyes wide. He continued smiling back until he noticed that her shoulders had started to tremble. His smile eased a bit, then totally vanished when there was a catch in her breath. Tears began to well up in her eyes, making the gold in them glimmer as she stared at him.

"Foxy?" He asked as he took a few steps closer, "What's the matter?"

She sniffed and looked down, and for a moment Dustin worried that, somehow, he had done something to upset her. But when she looked back up that feeling was immediately put to rest. Her eyes welled with tears, but not the miserable kind. Instead, as she looked at him with a giant smile on her face he knew that these were tears of joy.

He wasn't really sure how to react to this situation, but he didn't have to. In a flash Foxy had crossed over and caught him in a hug. There was a moment of surprise where he didn't do anything in response, but quickly recovered and began to hug her back. Slowly, cautiously he wrapped his arms around her back, running his fingers through her rose red fur. Then he pulled her close, comfortingly rubbing her back with one hand while the other held her steady as she shook. Over his shoulder he could hear her weeping, repeating one phrase through her sniffs and sobs:

"Thank you…"

He smiled and gently pushed her back so that she was looking into his eyes. There were tear streaks down her cheeks, but not a trace of unhappiness in the world prevalent. He slowly raised one hand up to her face and placed it on her cheek, causing her to slightly flinch against the contact. Then he gently traced his hand across to her jawline, dragging his thumb over her tears and drying her fur.

"Hasn't there been enough crying already?" He asked as he smiled into her eyes. They never left his, even as he used his free hand to dry her other cheek as well.

"I-I just… I've n-never had…" She said as she fought off more tears, "No one has ever cared about m-me this much… I-"

"I understand." He answered. She nodded back, then tentatively pulled herself back into the hug and rested her head on his shoulder. They both stayed like that for a while, until Dustin broke the comfortable silence in the room.

"So, how about we get started?" He asked. She sniffed one final time, then nodded. He felt her answer on his shoulder and pulled away, ending the embrace between the two. Then he began gathering all of his dropped supplies and placing them neatly on a large crate.

"I should have enough to clean and repair your whole body," He said as he put the last of the canisters on top of the crate. "Now we just have to put in the time... Hey, do you know where those fastens went? …Foxy?"

He turned back to her and noticed that she was opening and closing her mouth repeatedly, as if she was testing it. Surprisingly it didn't fall out of place as she did so… Then he noticed the ripped plastic packaging at her feet, and the set of rusted joins surrounding it.

"You didn't just- did you really put them in already?" He asked in shock. He only had his back turned for a minute or two, yet as she smiled at him it became obvious that, to her at least, that was all the time she needed to open the packaging, take out the old fastens, then install the new ones. All with only one good hand, at that.

"You never cease to amaze me," He admitted, making her giggle. "So how do they feel?"

She opened and closed her mouth once more as if to verify her answer.

"They feel great! Sturdy, too. I don't think my jaw will fall any more, that's for sure!"

"Awesome," He said as he climbed onto the crate holding his supplies, "So are you ready to get rid of all that rust?"

She nodded enthusiastically, then hopped up beside him. He reached over for a rag to start with, but paused when he saw her pick up a can and point it at her shoulder as if she were going to do that on her own as well.

"Uh… Foxy?"

"Yes?"

"You're not really going to try doing this on your own too, are you?" He asked in disbelief.

"Well of course I am," She said as she looked at him curiously, "Why wouldn't I?"

He sighed- that was one thing about Foxy, she sure was independent. Then again, after spending so many years alone it made sense. After a while in that situation you have to start relying on yourself a bit if you want to get anything done. He respected that strength in her, but in this situation he knew that she couldn't do this on her own.

"Maybe you should let me do this," He said kindly as he began moving the rag closer to her shoulder. But just as he got close she suddenly turned it away from him.

"N-no, I can do it, really!" She said. Once again she had that expression on her face, as if touching her was a crazy idea with a lot at stake. Dustin frowned- that didn't make sense though. After all, she seemed perfectly fine with it when they were hugging earlier. It had to be something else… Then it hit him.

"Foxy? Are you a little… Insecure about your body?" He asked gently. Her eyes widened before she could answer him, telling him all that he needed to know.

"You are, aren't you?"

Foxy blushed and looked down shyly. She still didn't say a word on the subject, and it didn't seem like she was going to either.

"Why?" He asked, "You look amazing, especially for being put away without any maintenance for so long."

She looked up at him and turned a deep shade of red when he said 'amazing', but still didn't answer the question.

"W-well… It's just that I-I…"

"Foxy, you can tell me." He said with an encouraging smile. She hesitated but nodded, swallowing before she answered.

"I've been alone here for so long…" She said in a near whisper, "For so long I've blamed myself… I thought that maybe I didn't look good enough to be seen, and that's why they put me away."

Dustin felt a stab of guilt in his heart, and an even more powerful wave of rage toward Mr. Fazbear and the rest of the company for doing this to her. Seeing the insecurity that they instilled in her was nearly unbearable after seeing how caring and kind she could be.

"Then… The rust started." She continued, "And I tried to fight it, but it came anyway…"

"That's what all of this is for though." He said comfortingly. "I want to help you Foxy, that's all."

"But that's the biggest problem…" She said quietly, "I-I'm… I'm scared."

This came as a shock. Dustin sat in a surprised silence as he tried to wrap his head around this- she was scared of him? How could that be when she seemed so happy when he was around?

"You're… Scared of me?" He asked.

"N-no, not you. Just the thought of you… Touching me. I'm scared that you'll see my flaws and you'll… y-you'll…"

She swallowed once more, then looked right into his hazel eyes.

"…You'll think I'm ugly, and you'll leave me just like everyone else did."

Being punched in the gut twenty times wouldn't have had as much of an effect on Dustin as those words did. He felt his own eyes begin to tear up a bit, but willed them away. Now wasn't the time to feel pity, now was the time to take action. He was going to fix this situation if it killed him.

"Foxy… You really think that I'll leave you?" He asked softly. She nodded in response and once more averted her eyes.

"…But that's crazy."

"Huh?" She looked back at him and saw the look on his face, more determined than ever before. What did he mean?

"I don't care what Mr. Fazbear and the rest of the company says, you're not ugly." He answered firmly. "Everyone has their flaws, but yours aren't you're fault. They're the fault of every greedy, careless piece of trash at Fazbear Entertainment. _They're_ the ones who are ugly Foxy, not you. Not in a million years."

"D-Dustin?" There was disbelief and gratitude in her voice, but he wasn't done yet.

"I want to undo the pain that they caused you, but you have to let me. I know that you can't do this safely on your own, and definitely not with your hook. That's why I _need_ to do this. You have to trust that I won't leave you, and that everything I do is to help you. Can you do that for me?"

Silence followed as she thought about his request. It was a hard thing to do after all this time but she had to do it. She had to trust someone, and who better than Dustin? He was the only person here for her and the only thing in the world that kept her going. Then and there she made a decision- she was going to trust him completely and faithfully, no matter what.

"Y-yes…" She answered. "I trust you."

"Thank you Foxy. Now, can you let me start helping you?"

She blushed but nodded, turning her back to him so that her shoulders were accessible. Dustin smiled- he knew how much this must mean to Foxy, to overcome her fear and put this much trust into a human, even after all they had done to her. He silently thanked her again, then reached over and grabbed a can of solution as well as a rag.

Looking at her back, Dustin had to admit he was impressed. Any signs of being robotic were efficiently covered when the animatronics received their last renovations. The only signs at all were the lines in her exterior on her shoulders, forearms, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles. Even then they were hardly noticeable until they were parted to be cleaned. This made her look like a true bipedal fox, with soft red fur covering even the slightest traces of her origin.

Gently Dustin put his hand on her shoulder and ran it over her fur until he felt the line for her shoulder joint. She jumped slightly as he did so, and he chuckled.

"Remember: just trust me. I'll be gentle."

She slowly nodded, so he got to work. He started by parting the fur with his fingers then gingerly pulling the shoulder joint open. This caused her entire shoulder to rise as some of her robotic interior became exposed to him, though the joint only parted a couple of inches before stopping. Upon seeing the contents he couldn't help but grimace. It was easy to see that her interior was supposed to be a bright silver color, with pulsing blue wires running through like the veins in an actual body. However, nearly all of the silver was covered with reddish-brown rust, some of which had begun growing over the wires as well. He wasn't completely sure, but it definitely looked painful- like some sort of disease.

Foxy began to shake as he sprayed some of the solution onto a rag and led the fabric inside. It felt somewhat like playing a game of Operation, trying to avoid the sides of the joint as well as the wires that ran through. Once he reached a dirty area he would press the rag against the barrier of rust and begin rubbing the solution in. It took him several cycles of this before the joint was clean, and once it was he smiled. The inside looked even better than he had imagined it, as the silver shone and the blue wires pulsed gently in rhythm. Apparently they had used some sort of easy to clean metal for her interior, since the rust came off without leaving hardly any trace of ever being there.

"Alright, this shoulder is done." He said happily.

"Really? I hardly felt a thing," Foxy said in surprise.

"You're welcome." Dustin joked as he touched the top of her shoulder, which then automatically lowered back into its natural position to resume concealing the joint. From there he ran his hands across her back to the spot opposite of the first joint and began work there too. After that Foxy seemed to become more comfortable with him touching her, and even seemed to like it when he would brush his hand across her fur. It was strange, but she made a sound comparable to a purring noise when he would do this, and he noticed that her eyes would close in contentment when he rubbed her fur looking for a joint.

After a couple of hours all that was left was the hip joint, which ran across just below where a person's belly button would be. To clean there he had her lay down on her back and began slowly running his fingers across her lower belly. For some reason he noticed her body tense up as he searched for the joint, and blushed when he realized that he was dangerously close to a particularly sensitive area. He didn't know in the slightest if there was anything there or not, and didn't plan to accidentally find out.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure not to get near your- er…"

"T-thank you…" She said softly as her blush intensified as well.

_So that answers that question_… Dustin thought as his face grew red hot. He understood wanting to make the animatronics as realistic as possible, and deriving their appearances from real animal and human biology, but seriously? It was beginning to seem like Fazbear Entertainment was perhaps a little too obsessed with accuracy when it came to this subject. Now he knew that she had a spirit, soul, mind, and extremely anatomically correct body. What then separated her from a person? Sure, she was physically robotic, but she still had a life like anyone else. After all, a spirit can't be programmed.

Finally he found the joint and sighed in relief as it opened. If he had to search any longer in that area he felt as though his head would catch fire. This joint was noticeably larger than the others, which made sense since it ran all the way across her midsection. Wasting no time, he got to work with removing all of the rust without a word.

Meanwhile, Foxy was at war with herself inside her head. She had promised herself that the next time she saw Dustin she would ask him, but until now had either been too shy or preoccupied to do so. Now, however, there was an opening as Dustin quietly cleaned her hip joint. She watched him work in gratitude as he carefully avoided anything that could cause her discomfort. In a way it reminded her of when she stitched up his wound a few days ago- he had been watching her work just as she was now watching him.

_He does so much for me…_ She thought to herself as she watched him work with determination and care etched into his face. _I hope he knows how much it means to me. I hope we can be-_

She paused. She still didn't know if he felt that way toward her or not. Sure, he acted as such, but how could she know for sure?

_Ask him!_ She thought to herself. _Don't let the moment pass you by again!_

"Um… D-Dustin?"

He turned his head to face her while he worked at removing a particularly tough patch of rust.

"Yeah Foxy?"

She could feel her face heating up- why did that always happen when she was around him? Regardless, she swallowed and asked the question that she had been rehearsing in her head all day.

"Are we… Friends?"

Dustin stopped rubbing at the rust and shifted all of his attention on her. As her words echoed off of the empty walls of the room she braced herself for his answer, no matter what it might be. Just then a smile came to his face, the kind one he used when he was trying to assure her of something.

"Of course we are." He said happily. Instantly Foxy felt a surge of happiness inside of her, the kind that wanted to dance around the room like a maniac. However, as he currently had her midriff opened up she didn't think that was such a great idea.

"Why do you ask?" He said as he gave her an inquiring look.

"O-oh, I just… I…"

She didn't want to tell him that she had forgotten what friendship was, but she didn't have to. That was one of the things about Dustin that she admired- he could always figure out what she couldn't say.

"You've never had a real friend before? Is that it?" He asked. She smiled shyly at him.

"Yes…"

"Well that's all over now." He said with a grin. Then he turned and went back to cleaning her. She was happy, but there was still more she had to know.

"Dustin..? What does it mean to be a friend? What do friends do?"

He paused as if he was contemplating something, then resumed his movements.

"Well, what do you think friends do?" He asked rhetorically.

"Um… I guess that they make each other happy? We do that for each other, right?"

He laughed to himself before answering.

"Yes, that's definitely a part of it, and we do. But there's a little more to it."

"Like what?"

After a moment he stopped cleaning and sat back, giving himself a break after hours of continuous work.

"Just think about it for a moment. If one friend is having trouble with something, what does the other friend do?"

"…Help them?"

"Exactly," He said with a smile, "And if one friend is in danger..?"

"The other should protect them?"

He nodded. "How about this- if one friend is lost, what does the other do then?"

She paused and thought about his question.

"Find them, right?"

"Sort of," Dustin said. "But there's more to it than that."

"What do you mean?"

Dustin smiled at her again, then grabbed a rag and went back to work cleaning her joint.

"Well, sometimes a friend can be very, very lost. So lost that they don't even know who they are or why they're here. Finding that friend is part of it, sure, but a true friend does even more than that."

"What more can they do?" Foxy asked. Another pause followed.

"A true friend finds them, then helps them find themselves. A true friend comforts them when they're in need, fixes them where they've broken, and never leaves their side until after they aren't lost anymore. Sometimes this can take a long time, but a true friend won't quit no matter what."

Foxy stared at him as he worked. Was that really what a friend is?

"But wait," She started, "If someone would do that for their friend then wouldn't they have to be really close?"

"Not always." He answered, "But by the end of it the two friends have permanently changed each other, and have a bond that can't be broken. That's what real friendship is- enduring hardships together and never leaving the other's side despite their differences."

She thought about all of this new information, testing and approving it in her mind until he spoke up again.

"So, tell me what you think a friend is." He said as he discarded the rag he had been using and prepared a new one.

"A friend is… Someone that you have a bond with, right?" She asked, "Not just any bond, but like the type that families have with each other."

"Yeah, friends can feel like family sometimes." He answered, "And they can be just as important. But what do you think friends _do_ for each other?"

"They… Make them happy and help them, protect them and stand by them. No matter what."

"That's perfect." He said as he looked over at her. "Then there's your answer. Friends make each other happy through what they do together. They help the other friend when they're in need, despite the cost. They protect them no matter what from any sort of danger, even if their own life is on the line, and will always stand by each other through everything."

"So, if we're friends then that means-"

"Yes." He answered with both happiness and certainty in his voice. "I'll help and protect you no matter what. I'll always stand by you. I promise."

Another strong surge of happiness rose inside of Foxy as she heard the sincerity in his voice. She could feel more tears of joy rising, but suppressed them to answer him.

"I will too. I promise."

He nodded and went back to his work with a smile. She smiled too, because this meant that she was right- he _was_ the one that she wished for after all. After a few more minutes Dustin sat back from the joint and set his rag down to wipe the sweat off of his forehead.

"There, just about done." He said.

"Really? The rust is gone?" Foxy asked excitedly as she made to sit up.

"Yep, just hold on a second." He responded as he leaned forward and tapped the risen section of her belly. He watched it lower until it was back in place, concealed by her rose red fur.

"There, now you're good to go."

"_Yay!_" She said happily as she sprung to her feet. In an instant she was leaping from box to box and running around the room in joy. Dustin had seen this coming and laughed as she did so, paying attention to how much smoother her movements seemed to be.

"Not a creak, either." He said as he nodded in approval. "Now I just hope she doesn't use this to sneak up on me when I visit, or I'll never know she's coming."

Dustin watched Foxy's antics for a while longer, amazed by her seemingly endless level of energy. By this point he was beginning to get a look into who Foxy really was, which was easier now that she was starting to overcome her timidity around him. Of course he knew that some piece of that shyness would always be there after all she had been through, but it was obvious that she had opened up considerably to him recently. He thought back to the hugs that she had given him today and smiled- it was something that he could easily get used to. The thought of her soft fur around him made him yawn as his eyes grew heavy. Foxy was still racing around the room, but by now his lack of sleep was catching up. However, he didn't feel like driving all the way back home to get some rest.

_I'll just take a quick nap here_. He decided as he laid back down on the crate, using the remaining clean rags as a pillow. _Foxy probably won't mind…_

And with that as his final thought, Dustin's eyes closed and he drifted off.

* * *

Foxy continued to rush around the room, jumping and dancing about in pure joy. She hadn't noticed after so many years, but the rust in her joints had severely hindered her mobility. Now that she was clean she was moving faster than ever and loving it.

_And it's all thanks to Dustin_… She thought as she ran, looking over at the crate he was on. When she did so she noticed that he was now laying down with a handful of towels tucked under his head. She slowed to a walk and made her way over the crate before jumping onto it without a sound. Sure enough he was fast asleep on top of the wood, his eyes shut as his chest rose and fell in rhythm.

"The crate can't be very comfortable for him…" she said softly as she got an idea. With a smile she sat down and gently lifted his head into her lap, replacing the rags with her fur. Even in his sleep she could tell that he liked it, as he shifted more of himself onto her until she was holding his shoulders as well. She smiled warmly down at him.

"Thank you Dustin… For being my friend."

She reached down with her good hand and gently ran it over his cheek until she met the hair covering his right eye. A heavy blush came over her face as she pushed it back behind his ear and stroked his hair again. Who knows what he would think if he knew she was doing this- but for now he was asleep and didn't seem to mind at all.

She giggled softly to herself until a distant sound ended it. It was a familiar noise to her, one that she had heard almost every night for years.

A loud, baritone laugh.

Her ears perked as she looked up at the part in the curtains. That wasn't the pre-recorded laugh that Freddy used to entertain children- no, that was the laugh he made when he was on the hunt for someone. She had only heard it used during the day on rare occasions, all of them with something in common:

The night afterward ended in the death of a security guard.

She growled softly and unconsciously pulled Dustin closer to her. The air was suddenly ice-cold in the Cove as the fur on her neck stood on end. Freddy was making it clear that he was done playing around. He'd had his fun with the guard, and tonight he was going in for the kill.

Foxy shuddered as she remembered the terrified and pain-filled screams of the past guards who met Freddy after a day like this. Their deaths weren't quick but slow and horrible, with Freddy toying with them for hours after they were caught.

She looked back down at the person in her arms- this guard, her _friend_\- who was now at risk to meet the same fate… That couldn't happen now, could it? Not after this much time. Surely he would outsmart them like he had before. He could do it…

…Right?

Then came another laugh. And another.

They filled up the restaurant.

Then came screaming and the sound of confusion in a crowd. It was distant, but unmistakably the customers realizing that something was wrong and trying to leave as quickly as possible. And still, the laughing continued.

_Beep, Beep, Beep. Beep, Beep, Beep._

Through the curtains she could see lights flashing as more screams threatened to drown out the building's security alarm.

_What's going on out there..?_ Foxy thought to herself. Dustin began to shift in her lap and she considered waking him, but decided against it as he obviously needed rest. She covered his ears, muffling the sound of the alarm until he was back to sleeping peacefully. Then she looked up, her ears moving as they pinpointed all of the different sounds throughout the restaurant. She could hear Mr. Fazbear shouting orders to staff, while adults and children alike panicked and fled the building. In the background Freddy's laugh continued, occasionally accompanied by a loud metallic shriek.

_I've never heard Freddy and the others this angry before_… Foxy thought as she looked back down at Dustin concernedly.

By this point it was obvious that they were closing up the restaurant, as the voices gradually vanished- as did the alarms. Following the deafening mayhem outside was now an eerie silence, indicating that the building was now completely empty. Foxy knew that something terrible must be going on, as there was only one other time in history that Freddy's had to close in the middle of the day like this-

"That day back in 1987…"

Foxy sighed and clutched at Dustin's hair as he slept unaware in her lap. She didn't know what had happened to make Mr. Fazbear close early, but one thing was for certain.

Something had really enraged the other animatronics, and they all wanted Dustin.

* * *

***NOTICE*: I got my Beta Reading profile put up yesterday, so if anyone is writing a story and needs a beta reader, please feel free to check out my profile. I'd be happy to help anyone who wants it. ****

**Whew, that was a long chapter huh? If you like what you saw or would like to share your thoughts, then I encourage you to leave me a review. I always appreciate being able to hear from all of my readers ;]**

**Thanks to: _ThrashMetalMartin, Goldenstreak1,TrainerCoral, Zeil, TheZimZam, ultima-owner, BlackCat, Joshimi, Cthulhu, Crimson of the Mandalorians, Guest #1, OutrunChaff, Rezkirel, DannyPhantom619, _and_ Guest #2_ for your reviews and kind words! You guys are the best!**

**Thanks for reading you guys!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	14. The Calm Before the Storm

**Hey guys, guess who's back? I apologize to all of you for the wait, I promise that delaying the story was not at all my intention. But hey, in my defense I've been dreadfully busy: Vacation, two broken phones, schooling, work, relationships- you take your pick! Still, that doesn't excuse the terrible wait for this chapter so I wrote another long one to hopefully make up for some of that lost time.**

**Whew, FNaF 4 is out! I'm already working on ways to interpret the new game into this story, starting next chapter (which is already underway)**

_**Oh, and I'm still looking for a cover image for this story. If anyone is interested or knows a way for me to get one, please PM me. Thanks!**_

**With that said, I hope you all enjoy chapter 14 of _FNaF: Another Side_!**

* * *

**Third Person P.O.V.**

It was quiet, and all was still. For the first time in what seemed like forever Dustin felt safe as he resided in a comfortable darkness. The guard had no idea where he was; only that everything was warm and soft, and that the world's troubles couldn't hope to reach him here. A soothing breeze was brushing against his long hair in a rhythmic and gentle loop, lulling him further into a state of serenity. As far as the guard was concerned, this was paradise and he never wanted to leave.

Somebody was there with him, carrying with them a presence of familiarity. Their being engulfed him and undoubtedly were what caused him to feel this way, filled with a sense of safety and peace. He clung to the warmth that they radiated but there was no response. He tried to concentrate- who was it? The name was so close, and yet he couldn't put his finger on it.

"I don't feel good about this…"

The voice was soft and feminine, as well as laced with concern. _But why?_ The guard slowly opened his hazel eyes, only to be met by a similar darkness to what he had just come from. The only source of visibility was a faint bluish light glowing somewhere in the distance. For a moment he just laid there, letting his tired mind adjust to what must have been reality. Once he had woken up some more a realization hit him- the warmth and softness from the dream was still here, as was the comforting feeling of something stroking his hair. He could feel that the source was somewhere above him, so he sluggishly turned his head upwards to identify it.

Directly over his head was what seemed to be the bottom of a canine's muzzle, covered in rose red fur. At first the sight seemed strange, until he remembered falling asleep in Pirate Cove while Foxy was testing out her repaired body. After a moment he realized that his head must be in her lap, the source of the warmth, while she unconsciously stroked his hair with her good hand. His face pinked slightly at the realization, but he couldn't deny that it felt good- so good, in fact, that he considered letting her go on. That was, until she turned her head and he saw the expression on her face. Her eyes were filled with heavy concern, her ears lowered in agitation as she stared off at something in the distance. He lowered his eyes to follow her gaze and realized that the bluish glow came from an opening in the set of purple curtains at the entrance to the Cove. Outside of the curtains was dark as well, something that troubled him greatly for some reason.

"…Foxy?" Dustin asked as he turned to look back up at her face. She flinched at hearing his voice and immediately stopped stroking his hair to look down at him, a weak smile quickly replacing her worried expression.

"Oh, you're awake." She said softly.

"Yeah… I was wondering what was so soft under me." He said with a chuckle, "I don't remember falling asleep with you on the crate, though."

Foxy blushed hard and looked away, a shy smile tugging at her lips.

"Well you looked kind of uncomfortable, so I thought you might like to have a pillow… I decided that I could help with that."

Dustin smiled at the thought but lifted his head from her lap to sit up.

"Thank you Foxy," He said as he stretched before turning to face her, "It was really nice."

"I-it was nothing." She answered as her face reddened even further.

He chuckled and rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes to look around, but frowned when he saw the curtains again. It was dark through the part in the fabric… but how? Unless…

"Foxy…" He said slowly, "What time is it?"

She tilted her head at him curiously. "About 10:30. Why?"

He frowned and scratched his chin.

"It's too early for it to be this dark in the building… I don't hear anybody outside either."

He hummed thoughtfully, but stopped when he noticed Foxy's expression. She was biting her bottom lip as she looked down, fidgeting with her hook nervously rather than looking back at him. Was there something she wasn't telling him?

"Foxy?" He asked again. "What's going on…? Why is the building closed already?"

She looked up at him as the anxious expression from earlier returned to her face. Just seeing that made him nervous as well, the sinking feeling returning to his chest. That was when they both heard it- a baritone laugh echoing from somewhere inside the restaurant. Immediately they both looked back toward the curtains. The laugh undoubtedly came from Freddy, but something was… different. Before now the sound had always been creepily jovial, but now it was sounding more menacing than anything, characterized by a distorted and warped sound.

_Are they out? _Just the possibility caused any feeling of calm to be extinguished from the guard, replaced with a sense of urgency as he remembered the previous events of the day- namely the animatronics' strange behavior and the implications associated with said behavior. He turned back to Foxy and once more tried to get some answers, a sense of urgency now prominent in his voice.

"_Foxy?_"

"I-I don't know for sure…" She said quietly as she looked away. "Something happened earlier today… W-while you were sleeping…"

"_What _happened earlier?" He asked as he tensed and shot another quick look back at the curtains. Something was obviously very wrong here, and he needed to know what that was immediately.

"Freddy and the others… Something went wrong with them." She answered, "At first it was nothing but his laughter, but then…"

"But then _what?_" He snapped. It had come out much harsher than he had meant it, but at this point he was being consumed further and further by his growing paranoia. He already had a good idea of what she was about to say, but_ really_ hoped that he was wrong.

Foxy jumped a bit when he raised his voice at her, and began to tremble as she continued.

"I-it just kept g-getting worse, and then Bonnie and Chica joined in. Then came the screams… I could hear p-people running and grabbing their kids while Mr. Fazbear was yelling at the staff…"

She looked right into his eyes, which were now wide in realization and terror. She didn't want him to be scared, but also knew that she had to tell him everything. She owed him honesty after all he had done for her.

"T-The alarm went off and Mr. Fazbear evacuated the building…" She finished. "That's all I know."

Dustin stared at her for a long moment, his eyes wide and breathing growing heavy. His heart's beating was already speeding up, but there was something that still didn't make sense.

"Wait…" He started, "The alarms should have woken me up… Why didn't I wake up?"

Foxy gulped and looked down, her ears lowered along with her tail.

"I-I'm sorry…" She uttered as her trembling increased.

"_What happened_?" he asked, his voice low but tense. "_What did you do_?"

"I j-just… You looked so tired…" She said as her eyes began to well up with tears, "A-and I liked having y-you with me… I l-liked holding you while you slept… I didn't want you to leave, so I…I…"

"You… Covered my ears, didn't you?" He asked as the realization hit him.

She sniffed as a tear trailed down her cheek. "Yes… I-I'm so sorry…"

Dustin sat in shock for a minute, letting this information sink in before shaking his head and standing up. Then he turned and jumped down from the crate to pace the floor nervously, his fists clenching and releasing as he shook and twitched in fear. At the moment he resembled an animal who had been cornered by its hunters- which was horribly accurate to the actual situation.

"This can't be happening, this can't be happening, _this can't be happening_…" He muttered as he ran his hands through his hair while he paced. Meanwhile Foxy's condition only worsened as she watched, the truth of her earlier actions suddenly hitting her- her selfishness and naivety had put more stress on Dustin than she had yet seen. He was genuinely terrified, showing a side of himself that contradicted his usual happy and caring personality. The fact that she had put this stress upon him caused her to start crying, when he suddenly turned to address her.

"Foxy, do you understand what this means for me?" He asked as he stopped pacing to look up at her. "Do you know how bad this is? I could have _left_! I could be safely outside of the building right now, miles away in the safety of my home, but instead I have to spend the next _seven hours_ inside of this building with killer animatronics! _I'm dead!"_

"I-I said I'm s-sorry!" She cried. She was weeping now, tears rolling down from her eyes as his words hit her like bricks. Her one and only friend in the world was in danger because of her. Would he hate her now because of what she did? The thought of losing Dustin caused her insecurities to flare up and engulf her, causing her to cry even harder.

Dustin stared at her and after a moment softened his gaze. A new feeling was starting to emerge besides his fear- remorse. She was crying because of what he had said, shaking because of his fear, and now he worried that somewhere inside of her she was withdrawing back into the shell that he had originally found her in. He wished that he hadn't yelled at her, but…

"…Why?" He asked as he turned away. Foxy sniffed at hearing the softness return to his voice, but tears still trailed down her face as she responded.

"W-why what?" She asked.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" He answered as he turned back to her.

"I told you, you looked exhausted and I thought you needed the sleep… and also… I liked having you here with me…"

"That's not what I meant." He said, "I mean, why did you want me to stay so badly? Why did you want me to stay here, sleeping in your lap like that? Why was that so important to you?"

"I don't know…" She answered as a teardrop converged on her jawline before dripping onto the crate beneath her. "You're my friend, and I don't like it when you leave… But also it's more than that…"

He tilted his head at her. "What do you mean 'more'?"

Instead of answering she blushed and looked away from him. He waited a moment for an answer, but when none came he sighed and walked back over to the crate. He was terrified of the position that he was now in with the other animatronics, but what Foxy had to say was important too. Besides, he knew that she didn't mean any harm by what she had done. Once he reached the large wooden box he hopped onto it and sat with his legs hanging off the edge. This got her attention, and when she looked back he patted the spot next to him invitingly. At first she hesitated, but then sniffed and scooted over to the edge of the crate beside him. A moment of silence passed between the two, the only sounds in the room being Foxy's sniffing as she cried softly. The air now held a sort of de ja vu, with the two looking off toward the curtains like they had the other day. After a minute Dustin looked over at her and repeated himself.

"Foxy..? What did you mean 'more'?"

This time she didn't turn away, but rather looked back at him with the blush on her face still apparent.

"Um… I-it's hard to explain, I... I just…"

When she had trouble expressing her emotions, he stopped her.

"…It's ok." He said as he gave her a weak smile.

His voice was soft and reassuring, removing any pressure that the question had placed upon Foxy. He then reached up and gently placed his palms on both of her cheeks. She flinched slightly, though less than she had the last time that he had cleared her tears. Like before he slowly grazed his fingers over her rose fur to her jawline, dragging his thumbs over the tear tracks to clear her face of any signs of crying. She gazed into his eyes as he did so and was surprised to see no trace of anger within them. He looked into her eyes as well, her golden irises bright even in the dark. Once his hands had reached the sides of her neck he lowered his left hand but raised his right and began scratching the fur below her ear. The action was out of the blue, even to him, but to his surprise Foxy actually seemed to like it. She closed her eyes as he rubbed her fur and pushed against his hand affectionately, all while making the same peculiar purring noise as she had earlier. Dustin smiled as she did so and realized that, perhaps, sometimes your body just knows by intuition what to do in tender situations like this.

That definitely seemed to be the case here, as Foxy's sniffing died down quickly as he scratched and rubbed the fur around her ear and neck for several minutes, exploring the area with his fingers and testing out her reactions to different types of touch. It undoubtedly had a soothing effect on her, something that Dustin noted for future use before slowly lowering his right hand from her head as well. Once he was done Foxy opened her eyes and gave him a disappointed look.

"Aww, I was hoping you would keep doing that…" She said with a pout.

Dustin laughed. "Someone likes having her neck fur rubbed, huh?"

Foxy reddened at his tease, but didn't answer as she shyly smiled. This caused him to chuckle again, which in-turn made her giggle. Before long all tension in the room was gone, and the horrifying reality of what awaited Dustin beyond the purple curtains was forgotten.

"So… Can you answer my question now?" He asked. Foxy gave him a thoughtful look for a moment before she slowly nodded.

"Yes..." She started, "I said that you are my only friend, but you're also the only person in the world who truly cares about me."

Pain flashed behind her golden eyes as she paused, searching for the right words to elaborate. Dustin waited patiently as he stared into her eyes, reading her emotions while she spoke.

"Before you came along I was alone here…" She continued as she turned her head to look about the dusty room. "There was no light. No joy. No _hope_. I was thrown away and left to rot, and I knew that nobody was coming for me. Still, I waited, and I wished with all of my strength that somebody- _anybody _would find me here and be my friend."

She paused and turned to look back at him.

"At the time I didn't even really know what a 'friend' was. What I had considered to be my friends before had all turned away from me, using me then abandoning me. I was very confused, but even more lonely. As I waited for someone to come and find me, my body began to rust and my voice deteriorated. I cried a lot in those days… Every night when I would hear the other animatronics kill the security guards, and every day when those same animatronics entertained hundreds of children. They did all of these horrible things, and yet they were still able to spend every day bringing laughter to the children. I missed it… I missed it _so_ much…"

She hesitated before doing anything else, looking as though deciding whether or not to do something.

"C-can I... Can I show you something?" She asked softly.

"Of course you can," Dustin said as he smiled encouragingly. Foxy slowly nodded back, then raised her hand and hook up to touch the base of her neck. From there she began to move them down her chest, trailing them over her fur as she went along. Dustin's face reddened as they rose with the form of her breasts, and he began to wonder where she was going with this. Regardless, he followed their movement until she stopped near where the bottoms of her breasts were and began to part her fur. As she proceeded he leaned forward in curiosity once he realized that something was there. As soon as her fur was parted he could see an indentation- more of a notch, really- in her actual skin. It wasn't large enough to be visible in normal conditions, but with her fur parted like this it was easy to see the laceration.

"Foxy…" He started as he leaned closer, struggling to see the mark in the dim conditions. He swallowed, then raised a hand toward the mark hesitantly.

"May I..?"

"Yes," She answered softly. He nodded, then extended his arm toward the area until his fingertips touched the incision. His face reddened further as he realized that he was touching the area right between her breasts, but that thought was far overshadowed by the questions he had regarding the mark. As he gently ran his fingers over the cut and around the surrounding fur he was able to get a better idea of what it was. It felt like some sort of scar caused by a sharp object repeatedly entering the skin. He frowned as he inspected the injury with his fingertips, wondering how in the world something like this could happen to her. Not that it was a large wound, or one he would consider threatening to her health, but it was still a moderately sized scar- and those don't exactly just appear.

He was curious about what this meant but refrained from touching the spot too much in case it hurt Foxy in any way. After insuring that no other smaller marks were near the first one he drew his arm back and addressed the fox.

"How did this happen to you?" He asked quietly. Foxy hesitated before answering but replied in a low voice.

"Through all the years that I've been alone here I've tried to focus on the light. I tried to think of positive things and hope for a better day tomorrow. But sometimes I just couldn't do that. Sometimes the darkness was just too much for me to take, and I knew that nothing was going to change."

She paused to drop her arms from her chest, letting her red fur once more cover the scar over her core.

"During those times I would have thoughts… bad thoughts about hopelessness and nobody ever finding me here."

"Foxy-"

"A-and I just couldn't take it, I couldn't handle the fact that I was really all alone… I didn't know why I was even alive."

Dustin froze as a morbid realization hit him, one that stopped the whole world from spinning with the implications of her words.

"Foxy… You didn't- I mean… Did you..?"

"Yes." She answered. As she said it there was a distance in her voice, a hollowness that broke his heart. She sounded so detached, so helpless. But worse than that was the look in her eyes as she stared at him. She spoke steadily and without interruption, yet silent tears were on the brink of falling, outshined only by the countless levels of despair and pain shining behind them. He had known that Foxy was depressed before he came along, but never had he foreseen this level of _suffering_.

"W-why?" He asked. Now his voice was shaking, as his own tears began to blur his vision.

"I couldn't do it anymore." She answered in that same heartfelt yet detached voice. "I couldn't spend another day here like this."

"But… How? What did you-"

Before he could finish his thought Foxy lifted her left arm, the hook on its end curved and deadly. Dustin stared at it, and quickly realized that the tip of the hook fit perfectly with the scar on her chest. However, that scar hadn't accumulated from one mere suicide attempt- there must have been multiple to cause a permanent mark such as that. As much as he hated the thought, he couldn't help but wonder how many times she almost took her own life- a few? Dozens?

… _More?_

It sickened him to imagine finding Foxy here dead, with her own hook buried in her chest. He shuddered- could someone so amazing really suffer such a terrible fate? His stomach turned, but that was far from his full reaction. Usually the guard was good at controlling (or at least hiding) his emotions, but in this situation he simply couldn't. It didn't matter that he was a grown man, nor that he was generally the source of emotional strength between the two. Just knowing that she had nearly killed herself was more than he could handle at the moment.

So he cried.

He cried like a child, for his friend and the pain she had endured.

It is said that, when dealing with beloved ones or people holding great value to another, drastic changes can occur within people. Sometimes even the broken will gain strength, or the strong will buckle. This observation was validated by what happened next. As Dustin shuddered with tears rolling down his cheeks, Foxy pulled him closer to her and held him in a tight hug. In response he hugged her back, burying his face in her fur while he tried to get ahold of his emotions. As his breath hitched with emotion Foxy ran her good hand through his long hair in gentle strokes- something that she now knew had a calming effect on him. However, that only seemed to intensify his emotions as he sobbed into her shoulder.

The scene was totally opposite from the usual exchanges between the two, with Foxy now comforting Dustin as he fought to regain his composure. Maybe it was the stress of work, or perhaps the very thought of Foxy dying that put him in this level of distress, but the truth was much deeper than that. The two had just made a connection in which Dustin could grasp the full pain that her soul had endured, and likewise Foxy had received some of his strength. It was a new level of unity between the friends, a plain of intimate understanding that neither had experienced before now. He felt her pain. She gained his strength.

After a few minutes had passed Dustin removed his face from her fur and wiped his eyes clear of tears. Foxy, however, continued to hold him close like a mother would caress her distraught child. The guard sniffed a final time before he looked back into her eyes.

"S-sorry, I… I just never knew…" He said softly.

"It's ok." She answered with another stroke of his hair. "There's no way you could have. And besides, all that is behind me now."

"Huh?"

To his surprise, Foxy actually gave him a small smile before she continued.

"None of that matters anymore, because everything changed when you came along." She said quietly. "You brought the light back into my life, and gave me something to believe in again."

"What do you mean?" He asked. To his amazement the countless levels of pain that had just resided in her eyes were completely gone, replaced now with fondness as she smiled at him.

"I mean, you're more than just a friend to me. You saved me… You fixed me when I was broken, and you haven't left my side." She answered. "You're... Well, you're everything to me."

She blushed and averted her eyes, though the fondness from her memories remained.

"Every time you leave I'm afraid you won't come back… And even though you always do I miss you when you're gone. That's why I didn't want you to leave earlier today. That's why you mean so much to me. You're my best friend, but you're also so much more. I owe everything to you."

"You don't owe me anything," He replied reflexively, though he was left somewhat speechless by her words. Did she really care about him this much? If so, it was the first time in his life that someone had placed such a high value on his companionship.

"Yes I do…" She said softly. There was a pause in which uncertainty flashed in her eyes, then she looked away from him and continued. "And I would give anything to keep you here with me…"

For some reason that sentence resonated with Dustin. It was obvious that all Foxy wanted was his companionship- namely for him to be by her side no matter what. And that made sense given that she had been left alone for so long. But what confused him was the similar feeling of longing that he felt toward her. He didn't want to leave her side either, and couldn't help but wonder if he valued her presence just as much as she valued his. After all, she was without a doubt the most unique thing he had ever come across, and had been more than hospitable and friendly to him. Sure, he had helped repair her due to what she had done for him, but also because he felt that she genuinely deserved it. Something this amazing shouldn't be hindered by the carelessness of others.

"Foxy, you know that I won't leave your side right?" He asked. Then as an afterthought added: "I made a promise… And I keep my promises, no matter what."

"That's good, but I'm worried… Something is really wrong with the others. They're all after you and it's because of me that you're in danger. Whatever happens tonight… It's all my fault…"

Dustin could hear the remorse in her tone and frowned. She didn't wake him because she cared for him so much, but doing so now put him in a serious predicament. It was obvious that she understood this now, and he could tell that she genuinely feared for his life. He couldn't imagine the pain she would feel if he went out there tonight and died, never to return to her again. That heartbreak would undoubtedly tear her apart, possibly to the point of her actually going through with taking her own life.

_I can't let that happen_, He decided. _No matter what I have to survive. Not just for me, but for her too._

He steeled himself and gave her a warm smile before answering.

"Hey, don't worry. I'll be alright."

She looked at him in shock, surprised by his sudden burst of confidence.

"B-but the others-"

"It doesn't matter." He answered with a determined glint in his eyes. "I'll do whatever it takes to make it through. No matter what they throw at me, I'll bounce back."

Foxy opened her mouth to say something else, but after a slight pause changed her response.

"Are you sure..? Maybe you could stay here instead-"

"No, I can't risk them coming here and trapping me in a single room. If they do that I'm done for."

Foxy's ears lowered worriedly but she knew he was right. He had a better chance out there where he could run and hide.

"Ok…" She said uncertainly.

He gave her the best assuring smile that he could manage with his conflicting emotions at the moment. "Well, I should get going. If I wait much longer than the others might just start waiting to ambush me outside of the cove."

With that he stood from the box and made to walk toward the curtains, but before he could take a full step something soft yet firm grabbed his hand. He turned back to see Foxy holding his hand with her good one, the same shy look returning to her face.

"Dustin..? Promise me."

"Promise you what?" He asked.

"Promise me that… You'll survive." She answered softly.

He paused at hearing the intermingling of longing and worry in her voice, but nodded.

"Y-yes. Of course I will."

"… And you said that you keep your promises right? No matter what?"

"No matter what." He answered affirmatively.

"Good," She said, but didn't release the grip on his hand. He considered pulling away, but just then she shot up and pulled him into a tight hug, holding him close as if to protect him from all the world. He stood in surprise from the action, until she whispered in his ear.

"I'm trusting you… Come back to me alive, ok?"

"Ok," Was all he could think to say. And that seemed to be all she needed to hear.

Foxy pulled away from him hesitantly, but still had something to do before he left.

"Oh yeah! Wait here." She said before running over to some crates and searching around them for something. Dustin cast another nervous look at the curtains while her back was turned, but she had also captured his attention so he patiently waited.

After a minute or so she seemed to find what she was looking for and ran back over to him. Then she grabbed his hand with her hook and lifted it, palm up, before placing something heavy and cylindrical into it with her good hand. Dustin was confused for a moment, until he recognized the texture and weight of the object.

"No way…" He mumbled as he turned and ran his thumb down the cold metal until it found a button. After clicking it a light flickered to life from the end of the object before illuminating the wall he was facing.

"My flashlight!" He said in disbelief, "Where did you find this?"

"It rolled behind a crate the night that you fell from the vents." She answered. "I just found it again earlier today- I'm glad I remembered to return it to you."

"So am I," He said as he inspected the light. It seemed to be in good condition, the only change being a large dent on the bottom corner. "This will make things so much easier tonight," He said as he smiled at her, "Thank you Foxy."

"You're welcome," She answered with a weak smile back.

"Now I should really get going," He said as he turned toward the curtains. This time he made it all the way to the entrance without any resistance from Foxy, but he turned back to her before going through. "I'll see you in the morning."

She nodded back at him, so he took a breath and pulled the fabric aside before stepping out into the dangerous halls outside.

After the curtain had closed behind him Foxy listened to his footsteps until they faded into silence. Out of habit she walked over to the crate to sit and wait for morning, but couldn't bring herself to rest for more than a moment before she had to stand again. Her anxiety was at a high, and her body was tense with worry. She knew that Dustin was a competent guard- possibly even the best that the company had ever seen. However, she also knew what Freddy and the others were capable of, and couldn't bear the thought of them getting ahold of her precious friend. Slowly, the seconds trickled into minutes that felt like days and hours that felt like years. The whole time she paced while listening closely for noises coming from the building. Occasionally she would pick up on something- some footsteps here, a crash there- but it was nearly impossible to tell if they were the animatronics' movements or the sounds of Dustin fighting to escape a horrible demise.

_Please be ok… Please survive…_

Her thoughts consisted of pleas like these that would play in her mind repetitively as the time passed. Eventually dawn drew nearer and she brought herself to relax a little bit. There had been no sounds like those that came from a night guard's demise, though Freddy's constant laughing kept her on edge. Regardless, she was positive that Dustin was still alive, and that was all the peace of mind that she could ask for.

_Just a few more hours, then Dustin will be back_. She thought to herself reassuringly. _He's actually doing very well. At this rate he should have no problem surviving until dawn-_

She froze. A sound had caught her attention, one that wasn't like the rest that night.

_What was that? _

She focused on the sound, her ears perked toward the source as she tried to pick anything else up. It was little to go off of, but for some reason her unease multiplied and the fur on the back of her neck stood like needles.

Then came another noise- _was that..?_

Her eyes widened. Something was very wrong. What exactly it was, she wasn't sure, but all of her instincts screamed one thing at her:

'_Dustin is in trouble!_'

She shot a look from the curtains to the rest of the cove frantically, her eyes wide with terror. If he was in trouble then what could she do? She hadn't been outside the cove in years, and the trauma from her past only doubled the conflict in her head. But what if he needed her? She might only have seconds to react, before the others finished him off.

_But what if I can't face them… What if-_

That was when she heard it, something that Dustin had once told her that shoved all of her fears out of the way:

"_Friends protect eachother no matter what from any sort of danger, even if their own life is on the line, and will always stand by each other through everything."_

_That's what I have to do_. Foxy thought as the conflict on her face turned to a look of determination. _Dustin has given so much for me- I can't keep being this scared little thing that he has to look out for. Tonight, I look out for him._

Without hesitation she threw the curtains open and ran out into the halls, sprinting as fast as she could toward the Security Office. It didn't matter that she had never seen the building's layout before, as she used her hearing and sense of smell to guide her. In that moment Foxy had unknowingly broken an emotional barrier that had imprisoned her for so long- but she couldn't care less at the moment. In fact, only one thing was on her mind:

_Nothing is going to hurt my Dustin if I can do anything about it!_

She bared her teeth and increased her speed toward the office. She could now hear clearly what was going on inside, and it wasn't good. As the posters lining the halls blew violently in her wake, Foxy could only hope that she wasn't too late.

* * *

**Dustin's P.O.V.**

_**Earlier…**_

I passed through the curtains and let them fall back into place behind me. Now that I was in the halls it was easy to see how incredibly dark the building was- there was no light anywhere around me. I paused and remembered what Foxy had said earlier, about the animatronics going crazy and Mr. Fazbear evacuating the building. As I imagined the event my grasp on the flashlight in my hand tightened, to an extent that my knuckles must have been clenched white.

_I hope nobody was hurt…_ I thought as I took a breath to steel myself. Despite the reassuring words that I had told Foxy, I was still nervous as hell. My legs were shaking beneath my jeans, and my heart was picking up its pace again.

"Still, there's no need to just stand in the hallway like this." I whispered to myself, then turned and began making my way toward the office.

After spending a week here I now knew the layout of the building pretty well- though I still clicked on my flashlight so I didn't bump into any walls. Also, as much as I hated how the light might give me away to the animatronics, I figured that it would allow me to see one should they find me, and give me time to make an escape. Any few seconds I could gain before an attack could decide whether or not I survive.

Another thing that was odd was how quiet the building was. Everything was completely silent around me, causing my footsteps to echo off the walls as hollow clicks. I tried to focus on these sounds as I walked, shining my light from wall to wall in front of me. However, imagination can be a man's worst enemy if the situation is suiting, and in this case it was inevitable. Sometimes I would think I heard metal scraping against tile, or would see a shadow slink into a room in front of me. Every time that this would happen I would just swallow and keep walking, keeping a constant but unrushed pace toward temporary safety.

After what felt to be an eternal stroll I could see light shining from a room at the end of the hall. It was almost a relief to know that the security office still had power after an evacuation, even though it ran on its own generator. I quickly closed the gap between me and the room, and turned into the office with a brief shining of my light down the hall I had come from. Maybe it was my imagination, or the darkness playing tricks on me, but I thought I saw something large standing in one of the doorways that lined the passage. However, when I shined my light back to do a double-take it was gone.

"Come on, don't go crazy on me now." I murmured to myself as I stepped into the small room and looked it over. Everything was in place as it was meant to be, and the office itself showed no signs of the animatronics being there earlier tonight. _That's a relief._

Before doing anything else I crossed over to the opposite doorway and shined my light down the hall to my right. Luckily nothing was there, so I turned back and walked over to the office chair. After sitting down my leg bounced nervously as I reflected on what I knew so far- I had yet to see a confirmed animatronic despite them probably being more active tonight then any time previously. Since I had shone my light down both halls leading to the office that meant that the animatronics were probably still in a group somewhere closer to the entrance to the building, or possibly were even split up and in hiding.

I shivered at the possibility that what I had seen in the hall earlier actually was an animatronic, which would mean that I had walked right past one without even knowing it. Then again, it wouldn't make sense for them to just sit idly as I walked by, so chances were that I was just imagining things.

I let my eyes roam the room in front of me until they rested on the tablet, which was turned off as it rested on the table. I quickly rolled over and grabbed it, turning it on to see if the cameras worked at all. By now it was obvious that Mr. Fazbear had disconnected all power from the building, but the off chance that I still had eyes around the restaurant would be a huge convenience.

To my slight surprise and utter joy, the screen lit up to show the classic camera hub, which displayed all cameras as operational.

"Huh, so they do work!" I said to myself as I tested a few for assurance. "That's good- maybe tonight won't be as bad as I thought…"

… I let that thought last for all of two seconds before I knocked on the wooden table beneath me.

I continued to cycle through the cameras, nervous but less terrified than earlier. Then I noticed something out of the corner of my eye- a blinking red light coming from the phone.

_Another employee assistance call?_

Intrigued, I reached over and selected the new message, then put the call on speaker while my leg still bounced nervously. I paused when the call didn't start off like the other employee calls, but rather like a normal message on an answering machine, with the analog time of the message mentioned before the actual call started.

The first thing I heard was screaming and a general sound of panic. In the foreground of this was a firm, masculine voice shouting orders out to people nearby. I tilted my head- what is this?

"_Dustin? This is Mr. Fazbear." _The message started. My eyes widened at hearing the older man's familiar voice.

"_If you're hearing this then you're still in the building. I don't know where you've been but you should have gotten out while you could."_

There was another pause where more screaming erupted, backed up by a loud baritone laugh in the background. Mr. Fazbear went back to shouting orders at customers and employees alike, and I realized that this call must be from when he was evacuating the building earlier. My heart pounded as I listened on- I didn't know that the situation had been this bad, but now that I was listening to it happen a new level of fear emerged inside of me. I felt naïve and stupid to let my guard down, even marginally, a moment ago, and took the pause in dialogue to shine both door lights before turning back to the phone.

"_The entrance staff told me that they saw you come in earlier but never caught a glimpse of you leaving. If that's the case then I have some bad news- you're stuck here until 6 tomorrow when I return to the restaurant. As soon as everyone is evacuated I'm cutting the power and locking the doors. I'm sorry Dustin, but I can't afford to wait for you any longer than I have… Something is terribly wrong with the animatronics."_

_Great, _I thought, _Even Mr. Fazbear is admitting how dangerous this is. This isn't good…_

"_Listen closely: you're a good guard. You've been vigilant so far, but this will be a different circumstance entirely. Play it safe, think things through, and don't let your guard down. That's all the time I have for now- good luck. I hope that we can talk more in the morning."_

There were a few more seconds of chaos and orders over the speaker, then it cut off. A part of me wanted to stop and think about all that he had said, to reflect on the situation more. But sadly, I didn't have time. Because, just then, I heard a deeply troubling sound- a Freddy Fazbear laugh unlike any other. As if he had actually watched my reaction to the recording, this laugh was sinister and demonic, with no trace of holding back. The only similarity to his usual laugh was the joy- though now it was a perverted, twisted kind of happiness.

The kind that came from knowing his prey was right where he wanted them.

* * *

**Here we go, the infamous night five ;] What horrors await Dustin? And also, what new revelations? All of this is coming soon! **

**How was that? Reviews are always welcome, in fact they are highly encouraged, so please leave me some feedback if you have the time!**

**You guys left me tons of really great reviews over my absence, and I loved hearing everything that you had to say! With that said, thanks to: _Franco731, Godzilla King of Monsters, DannyPhantom619, ultima-owner, THE5dead, The Zambie Man, ThrashMetalMartin_, Guest #1, _Zeil, squall0104_, Guest #2, _thatrandomguy, anthonyhutchins55, ultramarinebattlebother, TheZimZam, OutrunChaff, aufmuthbrandon, NightShadow2745, Flowslikepixelz, MattyJones, Formerly JK, ThatOneGuy, KyuubiMakai009, NETGamer99, Yumioji, ScarletConnection_, and _Iroquer_ for your reviews! **


	15. The Fifth Night

**Hey guys! Here it is, the long-awaited night 5! This is also the longest chapter I've ever written, at a whopping 10,000 words, so I hope you are all prepared to do some reading!**

**Also, thanks to a reader named Rosco Peeko Trane, I found a great cover image for this story! Credit for the image goes to Foxy-The-Pirate-14 on deviantart if you want to check them out.**

**Well, without further ado please enjoy chapter 15!**

* * *

That laugh, that single vocal expression of sick, murderous joy, was all it took to throw me right back into complete terror. I wish I could have thought more about an actual strategy to get through the night, or at least looked further into Mr. Fazbear's message, but there were bigger things to focus on at the moment. Once again I shone the door lights down both halls, but there were no animatronics to be seen…

…Yet.

I wasn't about to let my guard down- they were coming. I had no doubt about that. The fact that they hadn't made it to me yet was a gift, an opportunity that let me prepare mentally for the hours of hell that awaited me. However, it was also suspicious. If they had been freely roaming all this time, then why wouldn't they just wait to ambush me here in the office? It couldn't be that they didn't become active until 12- that was already disproven the other night when they moved well before midnight struck the restaurant. No, there was something else… did they have some sort of strategy? Or was it really dumb luck that I was even allowed this far?

_Impossible…_

Once more I shone the left door light and looked down the hallway. Nothing.

_Why aren't they coming for me? Could it be…_

Then the right door. Same result.

_No, something is definitely wrong. Where are they!?_

I snatched the tablet up again and scrolled through the feeds. One by one they turned up empty- the halls, the party rooms, outside of Pirate Cove, the main entrance…

_Is it really possible that they haven't left the show stage yet?_

It was unlikely, but I wasn't going to leave anything to chance. I flipped to the camera monitoring the show stage only to find that there was nothing there either.

"This doesn't make sense… Why aren't they attacking?" I flipped through the feeds again to double-check, but by now I could sense it was pointless. I knew it was impossible, but a part of me began to think that, maybe, they weren't even in the building. That was, until I heard another one of Freddy's laughs. This time, however, it came from my left rather than the right side.

_How did he get there so fast?_ I thought as I stood and peeked out of the left door. I didn't hear any other sound aside from the echoes of his outburst, so I clicked on my flashlight to see down the hall.

It was just a flicker, a mere flash of an image, but what I saw was enough to make me jump in terror nonetheless. About halfway down the hall stood a giant silhouette of a bear, with glaring eyes that flashed above a twisted grin. With a yelp I flinched at the sight of Freddy, causing the flashlight to fly out of my hands. I juggled with the light for a moment before steadying it again, only something was different-

Freddy wasn't there anymore.

My heart hammered in my chest as I shone my light down the hall, but sure enough the giant animatronic was nowhere to be seen. It just didn't make sense… where did he-

Another laugh. This time on my right side, and even closer to the office than before. I rushed over to the door to shine my light down, but there was no trace of him there either. Before I had time to scratch my head in confusion another laugh echoed, again from my left. I gasped and repeated the motion, rushing to the door with my flashlight in hand, but before I could even reach the door another laugh came from the right.

"No way," I said in a shaky voice, "How is he so _fast_?"

It just didn't make sense. Somehow he was moving at a speed that seemed impossible, jumping between both halls in an instant. And worse yet, he was gaining on me.

Another laugh echoed through the halls, though now it was so close that I couldn't tell which side he was coming from. With a half yelp/half growl I lunged to my left and mashed the door button. Then, without a second wasted, I rushed to my right and hit that button as well, effectively locking me in the room. For about a second I relaxed knowing that he couldn't reach me now. Then my eyes widened when I realized how much power I was wasting this way.

_Idiot! You'll never make it through the night if you leave both doors closed!_

This had probably been Freddy's idea all along- using head tricks to make me lock myself in, then simply corner me when the power went off. It was a simple yet effective plan, and as much as I didn't want to, the logical part of me knew that my only chance at survival was to open the doors. I stood and first walked to the door to my left, but right as I reached for the button something crashed into the window next to me with a thud, causing me to jump back in surprise.

With the light from the office shining through the window I could see a figure pressed against the glass, along with a pair of red eyes glaring at me. Shakily I raised my flashlight and clicked it on, revealing the rabbit animatronic called Bonnie staring at me from the other side. But what worried me most was her expression- a dark grin was plastered on her face, accompanied by two crazed eyes that shone with hunger and hatred.

It was the look of a killer who had cornered her prey.

I nearly dropped the flashlight out of shock, and could only watch helplessly as Bonnie slowly backed away from the glass and disappeared into the shadows behind my door.

I was shaken from the sight, but regardless turned to the other door only to find a figure outside of that window too. I gulped as I rose the beam from my flashlight, revealing Chica standing outside my window much like how Bonnie was. However, she didn't merely press herself against the glass. Instead she showcased the scariest thing about her- her teeth.

She stood perfectly straight, but let her head lull back like it was broken. As if that wasn't enough, her jaw was hanging open to reveal two sets of razor-sharp teeth that looked ready to shred anything that fell into her grasp at a moment's notice. This time I actually _did_ drop the flashlight, and by the time I had steadied it toward the window again Chica was gone- assumedly lurking just behind my door like Bonnie was.

That's when it clicked- Freddy's plan wasn't to merely scare me into using all of my power... He literally forced me to, using the other two as guards. If I opened either door there would be an animatronic there ready to attack. And if I didn't do anything the power would run out leading to the same result.

I was trapped.

"Dammit… This can't be happening!" I said as the terrible reality hit me. They didn't ambush me earlier because the office was exactly where they wanted me. Now I was cornered here, with nowhere to go.

As if to say 'Oh, but it _is_ happening', Freddy belted out a horrible laugh from somewhere nearby. I still couldn't tell where he was exactly, but it was definitely close enough to watch my capture. The whole situation was rigged in his favor, and the chance of me escaping was dreadfully close to zero.

Three animatronics. One of me. It was only natural that they would use their numbers to catch me. Still, the very thought of getting caught by them and shoved into a robotic suit was enough to drive me insane. I had felt trapped earlier at Pirate Cove, but now the situation had achieved another level of helplessness entirely.

My body tensed and released as I paced the room, running my hands through my hair as I tried to come up with a way out. But no matter how hard I tried to focus, I could only think about the details of my demise. Would I go in head-first? Or would they crush the rest of my body before finally dealing the killing blow? Hell, I didn't even know if it would kill me instantly. What if I survived a bit longer and had to sit broken and impaled within an animatronic suit until I bled out? The thought made me shiver, but as another loud laugh met my ears, that fear quickly turned to anger.

"_**SHUT UP!**_" I roared, "_WHY ARE YOU EVEN DOING THIS? I NEVER DID ANYTHING TO YOU SO WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO __**KILL ME**__?"_

Silence met my outburst as I stood breathing heavily inside the room. For a moment I fought to regain myself, then I turned and began strategizing again. It didn't matter how hopeless the situation seemed, I had to keep calm, and more importantly continue coming up with ideas to escape. I made a promise to Foxy and no matter what I was going to keep it.

However, hope for escape alone wouldn't save me, and after countless minutes brainstorming I still didn't have an escape plan. I growled in annoyance and stress as I sat in the large rolling chair and picked up the security tablet. The first thing that met me from the screen was an analog time- 1:15. Below that was my power bar, which had a large 70% on it. I grimaced at the sight. At this rate I would be dead before 4 o'clock.

I already knew where the animatronics were so checking the cameras seemed pointless. Still, I didn't have any better ideas so I scrolled through the feeds nonetheless. Sure enough, one by one the rooms came up empty, and I couldn't help but wish that I was in any of those rooms rather than in the office. The irony of the situation almost made me chuckle, given that this was supposed to be the safest place in the restaurant.

Since none of the camera feeds showed me anything particularly interesting I almost quit looking, but the completionist in me kept flipping until all that was left was the show stage. I clicked the show stage icon on the camera hub and almost immediately turned the device off since obviously nothing was going to be there- but for some reason I did a double-take.

Because something _was _there.

It would have been easy to miss, but in the corner of the room just beside the show stage was a dark figure. Honestly from this distance it looked more like a pile of something laying against the wall, but I could distinctly remember nothing being there earlier when I checked the show stage. I leaned forward to the tablet and squinted my eyes at the figure, but I couldn't quite make out what it was.

"If only I could zoom in on this thing…" I muttered as I tried looking at it from different angles to figure out its identity. It just didn't make sense- how could something just appear in that room? Surely the animatronics didn't move it there…

Suddenly there was movement on the screen as the object twitched in the corner. I jumped at the unexpected movement, then the monitor flashed static and went dark.

"W-what the hell?" I asked as I tapped the unresponsive screen a few times. I was about to give up when the tablet flickered back to life showing the same feed, but with one major difference.

The shape was no longer in the corner beside the stage… but rather, on the stage itself. Once again I leaned forward, until my face was mere inches from the screen. I could see it better now… It looked familiar, like something I had encountered before…

In fact, it almost looked like-

"_**Hehehehe…**_"

In an instant I threw down the tablet and shot up from the chair, putting as much distance between me and the device as possible. That sound… It came from through the camera feed, but also… Inside the office? _How_? And where have I heard that sound before?

"No… No,nononono, there's no way… _There's no way_!"

I ran back over to the tablet and picked it up, staring at the limp thing as it just sat there. I knew what that sound was… The Golden Freddy suit from Fazbear's Family Diner! Mr. Fazbear and Fritz had said that I would probably never see the suit again… That nobody had ever encountered it twice. So there's no way that this could be it, right?

…_Right?_

Wrong.

Because just then, as I stared at the image before me in disbelief, the thing began to move. It moved right in front of my eyes, slowly but deliberately. Its head, which had been lowered before and concealed by the tophat it was wearing, slowly rose until it was staring straight ahead into the darkness. Then, before I could even utter another 'no way' it snapped toward the camera, staring straight through the lens at me with two hollow, dead eyes.

I flinched at how quickly it moved but never took my eyes off the screen as its eyes flooded with a bright light. Then in an instant it was gone.

"_What? Where'd it go!?"_

I began to frantically switch between camera feeds as I searched for the suit that quite honestly scared the living hell out of me. One by one the feeds showed no sign of the thing, which made me more anxious and terrified by the second. _Where is it!? _It couldn't have just disappeared, it had to be somewhere-

"_**Hehehehe…**_"

I froze.

I knew where that sound came from.

I slowly lifted my face from the tablet to see the room in front of me. As I did, I quickly realized that something was there with me. My breathing became heavy as my eyes lifted and revealed the other occupant- At first it was two limp arms, followed by a corroded animatronic body. Then robotic joints with detached wires and bits of metal sticking out. A gaping mouth equipped with large, blunt teeth beneath two empty eye sockets with just pinpricks of light as inhabitants. And finally, a cartoonish top hat resting unevenly upon a broad, yellow head.

I stared back at it for a long moment with wide eyes. I had both of my doors closed, but it still got in.

_How? _What _is_ this thing?

My mind was screaming for me to get away, to do whatever I needed to do to escape. But no matter how much I wanted to move, I couldn't force a single muscle to twitch. I was completely immobilized by this thing that sat before me.

I continued staring straight into its eye sockets until it started to move again. This time its head slowly tilted at me until it was almost completely parallel with the ground, but it never looked away from my face as it did so.

Just then a jolt of pain flashed through my head, much like it had the first night I encountered the suit. I wanted to raise my hands and hold my head, to somehow numb the excruciating sensation, but my body still wouldn't move. Instead I just continued to stare at the suit like a mirror.

**M… It's… Me… It's ME… IT'S ME. IT'S ME.**

The pain escalated to the point of feeling like a knife was buried in my forehead. My hands unconsciously jerked from the pain, but I still couldn't move. I could feel burning tears running down my cheeks and hear the faraway sound of my breath hitching, but it was nothing compared to the thundering sound of-

**IT'S ME. IT'S ME. IT'S ME. IT'S ME. IT'S ME.**

The edges of my vision were blurring red now. I tried to do something, _anything_, but still to no avail. My vision blackened for just a second, then returned clear as images flashed through my mind:

Children- laughter. Screaming. _Crying_.

Security guards- running. Hiding. _Dying_.

From _Purple_ to _gold_ to _black_.

_What is this? I don't want to see this! _

I was crying openly now, tears spilling down my cheeks and converging on my lips, the salty taste infiltrating my senses. Still, the 'IT'S ME's continued at a terrible volume, until finally they changed.

**DO YOU REMEMBER? IT'S ME. IT'S **_**US**_**.**

_WHO? WHO ARE YOU!? _

I wanted to scream it, but all that escaped my mouth were choking sounds and sobs. More images appeared, this time familiar ones that only scared me more.

A purple bunny animatronic with black, sunken eyes. She smiled, revealing a set of razor sharp teeth that I wasn't familiar with. The spot of light in her eyes flashed an electronic red before the image flickered to show a yellow chicken, who just stared forward blankly. There was a flash, then the image returned- but there were differences. Now she was grinning maniacally, and blood stained the "Let's Eat!" bib around her neck. Once more the image changed, now to reveal a large brown bear. One second he was smiling happily, singing into a mic before a small crowd of children. Then it showed the same stage- but the bear was gone. All that remained was his top hat beneath a single show light, as the children who had been watching him sat lifelessly, with grey faces stained with tears.

Finally the images stopped and my vision returned to the office before me, as well as the horrifying being inside it. It still sat slumped and with its head tilted as though nothing at all had happened. I, on the other hand, was shaking terribly now as the fear ad emotional distress coursing through me bacame too much for my body to handle. I tried to look away, to somehow break the hold it had on me, and that's when everything went dark.

…

A moment passed and I wondered if I had passed out from fear or fatigue. The only thing that made me think otherwise was how clear everything was- it didn't seem like a dream or subconscious plane at all. I tried to move, but I was still immobilized. Was this another vision?

"… _Hello_."

I froze as that single word permeated the silence and echoed around me. Where was that voice coming from? It almost seemed as though it came from within my own mind somewhere, but I know that I hadn't imagined it… Was I going crazy now?

"_Don't be afraid. You aren't going insane._" The voice continued, as if to address my concern right as I thought it. Normally that would have freaked me out even more, but for some reason it reassured me. The voice… something about it was very calming and surreal. However, as hard as I tried I couldn't describe the actual sound of it. As it echoed through my head it had a childlike quality, yet at the same time was very mature and sophisticated. I could almost decipher it as female, but with all the echoing that the voice produced it was difficult to tell for sure. Did it even have a gender?

"_That's not important right now,_" The voice answered in a caring yet firm manner, "_There will be plenty of time for answering questions later, but for the time being let's focus on tonight- namely your survival._"

_My… survival?_

"_Yes. It seems you've found yourself in quite a predicament._" It responded stoically. "_Honestly I would have expected more from you, seeing as you have made it this far with relative ease. You aren't anything like the past night guards- a quality that I respect of you._"

There was a pause and I couldn't help but feel as though I was being assessed. Under normal circumstances this would have made me nervous, but as I was still frozen I simply sat there, staring into the darkness.

"_Yes… You are surely unique from the previous guards…_" It repeated quietly. "_With that said, I am going to help you."_

_Help me? How? Who are you?_

"_I already said that was not important at the moment- get a hold of that curious mind of yours." _It scolded.

_Can you at least tell me why you're doing all of this? _I thought.

"_I suppose I owe you that much… Very well. You interest me, human. You have ever since you walked in those front doors a week ago- no, actually ever since you were just a small child." _The voice answered. Maybe it was me, but I could almost hear a layer of affection in its tone.

_As… a child?_

"_Yes, but that's not all. You also play a vital part in the future of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria and its animatronics, in ways that I cannot possibly explain here. Long story short, I have my reasons for helping you. Just listen to what I tell you and you'll survive. As for your questions, they'll be answered soon enough._"

Now I was _really_ curious. But whoever this voice was, they were right. I didn't have much time to act before the animatronics caught me- let alone have an informative discussion.

_Alright… So what do I do here? I'm trapped._

"_That's true, you fell right into the palms of their hands. However, I know of a way you can escape the office and make a run for it. From there it's all up to you- I won't help you out of any further situations you may find yourself in."_

_Wait… why not? You just said that I was important right? If that's the case shouldn't you help me whenever I'm in trouble?_

"_Don't underestimate what I'm doing for you, human." _The voice answered with an annoyed tone. "_I'm saving your life, after all. The least you can do is appreciate that."_

_O-oh right. I'm sorry…_

There was a pause, then the voice continued. "_Besides, if you really are as talented a night guard as I think you are, you'll figure out a way to survive. Just don't let them catch you again or it's all over."_

_R-Right…_

"_Anyway, listen closely. Right now Bonnie and Chica are waiting outside of your doors. This makes it seem like there's no way to escape, but you've forgotten the element of surprise. Neither of them are expecting you to just open the door right? They assume that you're just going to stay locked in until the power goes down. However, if you move quickly enough you can open the door and run past them before they can react."_

_Oh, right! _I thought. Honestly I couldn't believe I didn't think of that myself.

"_Go through the door to your right." _The voice continued, "_Run past Chica then use your wits to think of a plan."_

_The right side..? _

I remembered how Chica looked standing outside of my window earlier, with her beak wide open two reveal two rows of razor sharp teeth. Even while frozen It sent shivers up my spine.

_Why that side instead of the left one?_

"_Because Freddy is also watching your left side." _It answered, "_Probably because that's the side you ran through when he was chasing you the other day."_

That made sense. Still, I wasn't thrilled about having to get past Chica like that. She terrified me in a way unique from the others and this plan was sketchy at best. In fact… How could I even trust this voice? I knew nothing about it aside from the fact that it probably had something to do with the golden suit. Even then that was guesswork- so who's to say that it wasn't just trying to trick me toward an earlier doom?

"_Cautious as always, I see._" The voice came with a sigh. "_Believe me or don't, that's up to you. But do you really have another plan? Time's ticking."_

It was true, this was all I had… No other option seemed like a realistic means to escape.

"_Exactly," _The voice responded, "_But you don't have much time. You must commit to this, otherwise the plan won't work. Move quickly and don't hesitate for anything. I've marked you so I'll be watching you from now on."_

_Wait… what? Marked me? What does that-_

"_There's no time, you have to go now! Go Dustin, run! Run!"_

As if awakening from a dream, reality returned to me in the form of the office. It also felt as though I regained control of my body, like a seal had broken. There was another difference too, something within me that wasn't there before… But there was no time to figure out what it was, as I realized the suit still sat motionless in front of me. I had only been back in control of myself for a second or so when the golden suit opened its mouth even wider than it had been and-

"_**ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!"**_

In a flash I was out of the chair and bolting past the golden nightmare toward my right doorway, pausing only to grab my flashlight from the desk before mashing the 'Door' button. I knew what was waiting for me just beyond the doorway, but that didn't matter as I was already rounding the turn and sprinting through the halls like a bat out of hell.

I didn't pause to look back, nor did I care if Chica was after me already or not. Right now all that mattered was making it into the vents that ran through the building, the one place where I knew they couldn't reach me. I had used the restaurant's ventilation systems once before to escape death so I knew that they were at least worth a shot.

By pure memory I darted through conjoining rooms and halls until I reached a specific party room with a low ventilation grate. I holstered my flashlight in a loop on my jeans, and from there it only took a few seconds to remove the metal panel from the wall- but in that time a pair of heavy footsteps had already caught up and entered the room from behind me. With all the strength I could muster I threw the grate behind me toward my pursuer in the hopes of at least slowing them down. The sound of metal making contact with metal rang out as I launched myself into the vents and quickly pulled my legs to safety. But I didn't stop there.

I continued to climb through the metallic passage until I met an incline that would take me into the ceiling. It didn't matter how safe I thought the vents were, even being at floor level in general felt like a risk. With my fear as my motive I climbed until the vents leveled out again, then paused to rest. Finally all of my physical exhaustion had caught up to me as I collapsed against the side of the vents and greedily gulped in the dusty air around me.

After a while I caught my breath and began to contemplate what my next move should be. Of course I could just sit here and wait out the night, but in case something else were to happen I needed to know where I was in the building right now. Looking down the vents in front of me I could see several ventilation grates replacing the metal panels at spaced intervals. I assumed that these were positioned above different rooms so that air circulation was evenly distributed about the building.

_Maybe I can look down one of those to figure out where I am_, I thought to myself.

Then again, I had done that same thing a couple of nights ago only to find the animatronics standing guard beneath me. They had heard me moving in the vents and used that to figure out where they should wait for me to fall out. Luckily for me these vents were sturdier than they appeared, and hadn't let me down yet… literally.

With my decision made I began crawling toward the grates slowly and quietly. It was possible that they already knew where I was, but in the off-chance I had somehow lost them I wanted to keep myself hidden. Once I had reached the grate I looked down but I could see nothing in the darkness below. I waited a minute before doing anything else, trying to hear if anything was down there before actually shining my light. When I was met with silence I pulled the flashlight from the loop on my jeans and aimed it through the grate before clicking it on. Immediately the room lit up and I couldn't help but let my breath hitch as I expected something to be waiting there- but there was nothing.

I let out a relieved sigh then went about trying to identify where I was. It looked like all of the other reserved party rooms around, except this one had a red color scheme. If a family wanted to they could reserve a room set in their child's favorite color, an idea that I assumed Mr. Fazbear had come up with.

_If I'm above the red party room then that means I'm in Pallet Corner… _I paused to look down at the other grates further down the vents. _Those must be the purple, yellow, and blue rooms then. If I keep following this vent then it should eventually let out at-_

A sound from below me cut that thought short. I quickly looked down then froze- nothing was in the room itself, but I could see something large standing in the doorway. A moment passed where I just stared at the dark figure without even daring to turn off my flashlight. Even though the room itself was lit, the light I was projecting wasn't enough to expose the identity of whoever was peeking in the room.

After a long moment the figure crept from my sight, backing out of my sight behind the wall. I let out the breath I had been unconsciously holding then turned the light to see further into the vents. I wasn't sure if they had spotted me directly or not, but seeing a random light coming from the vents was surely enough to give me away.

"I guess that means I have to keep moving then…" I whispered to myself as I steadied the flashlight and made to crawl forward. However, just as I began to move past the grate I heard another soft sound in the room. Again I froze as I tried to figure out what it was- then there was another. And another. It took me a moment to realize what I was hearing, but there was no doubt now.

They were footsteps.

I sat perfectly still as the steps slowly came closer to me, holding my breath to keep myself silent. However, they just kept coming closer and closer until they finally stopped directly under the tile I was hiding on. I was shaking terribly now- there was no doubt that it was an animatronic down there. They had seen my light from the vents, so they knew I was up here somewhere. I didn't know which one it was, but whoever they were they were on to me.

_Even if they did know I'm up here, they couldn't reach me… right?_ I thought as sweat began to run down my face. That's what I wanted to believe, but I honestly didn't know if the animatronics were capable of reaching me in the vents or not. Another thing that worried me was how the footsteps hadn't picked up again since they stopped right under me. Did that mean that they had my location pinpointed? Or were they merely waiting, listening for me?

Regardless, I sat as still as I could force my terrified body to be. Maybe if I waited them out they would get bored and move on…

Then I felt something slowly running down my left cheek. My eyes widened as I realized that it was my sweat running down to my chin… where it would fall onto the vent right above my stalker. I couldn't do anything to stop it without moving and making a noise, and could only grit my teeth as the drop ran along my jawline before converging on my chin.

_No… please, no…_

Then I heard some shuffling beneath me, along with the sound of a footstep moving back toward the entrance to the room. The animatronic must have finally grown bored and decided that I wasn't there. This would have come as a major relief, but I could feel the drop of sweat growing on my chin, and I didn't know if it would hold on for much longer.

Another step sounded out, signifying that the animatronic was a pace further from me than it was a moment ago. Then came another step. Maybe, just maybe, it would move on without suspecting a thing. In that case I could move on safely and-

That was when the inevitable happened. The bead of sweat on my chin finally grew to a point that it detached, and was now falling toward the hollow metal panel beneath me.

_No, no, no, no, no, no…_

_Dink!_

I grimaced as the drop made contact with the metal beneath me and echoed out through the vents. In the room below the footsteps suddenly paused. The animatronic was about three paces away from me now, but that didn't matter if they decided I was up here after all.

Then there was a shuffle, and a step back in my direction. And another. And another.

I mentally cursed as they stopped beneath me again. My whole body was trembling now, as I could practically feel the cold, merciless eyes of the animatronic fixed on me through the ceiling tile. Again I couldn't help but wonder-

_They can't reach me from all the way up here… _

… _Right?_

Another bead of sweat was now running the same path as the last, and again I was helpless as it stopped on my chin and dangled above the noisy metal beneath me. Should I run? Would it even matter if I stayed here, or could the animatronics really reach me somehow? I didn't know, but the stakes were too high to gamble either way. Unfortunately I had no time to decide what to do before I felt the drop fall just like the previous toward the metal tile under me. Consequently, two things happened next:

First, the drop made contact with the vent, again issuing a small _Dink! _as it did so. About a whole second of tension passed afterward, in which I didn't dare make any movement.

Then everything around me changed as the vents lurched before falling out from beneath me. I quickly jumped back a section to safety, but watched in horror as the spot I had just been sitting on was torn out of the ceiling by a pair of large robotic hands. There was another violent lurch around me, causing me to fall forward toward the now gaping hole in the ceiling. Luckily I managed to catch myself before falling through, but was horrified by what I saw next.

The robotic hands scrambled for a better hold as the vents shook and bent toward the room below. Once they had clung on, the possessor of the metallic digits rose to eye level with me from the room below as they hung from the now dangling vents' end. All I could see in the darkness were two glowing red eyes glaring from under a pair of cartoonishly large bunny ears.

_Bonnie!_

It figured that the animatronic that tracked me down was the one with the best hearing. Had it been Chica or Freddy I probably would have gotten away with hiding up here- but there was no time for thinking about that now. Bonnie was now trying to actually climb into the vents after me, her hands clawing at the metallic vents as she fought to hoist herself up. Once I realized this I tried to double backwards, but another unfortunate shake of the vents caused me to tumble forward- this time landing with my face a mere foot from hers. I gasped and tried to pull away as she reached out for me.

**SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**

The terrible screech tore at my eardrums like daggers, but I grit my teeth to bear it as I doubled my efforts in escaping. From there on she continued screeching, either using her continuous scream or broken segments of it as she tried to tear the vents down to reach me.

Finally she managed to raise a knee up into the vents, but that must have been more than the fixture could hold.

Because they fell… taking both of us down as well.

Not even a second of weightlessness passed before the impact hit me. I had been laying on my chest when the ceiling fell through, so the sudden jolt knocked the air straight out of my lungs as I was thrown from the fixture and onto the cold tiled floor below. I wanted to just lay there and catch my breath, but I knew I didn't have the time for that. Looking over I could see that the vents had fallen atop Bonnie, who was now thrashing as she tried to free herself.

_Here's my chance!_

I knew that Bonnie getting pinned, even just momentarily, was very lucky on my part. I needed this time to get away, so I forced myself to my feet and began to run toward the open doorway that she had come through in the first place. My lungs burned like hell and I fought not to gasp like a fish out of water as I sprinted through the halls toward… anywhere but there.

_This isn't good, this isn't good, this is so not good… _I kept thinking as I ran through the darkness. All of Bonnie's screaming, mixed with the crashing from the vents had surely alerted the other two of where I was. That meant that I had to move, and fast if I wanted any chance at surviving the night.

As I ran I passed a set of bathrooms and contemplated ducking into them to contemplate my next move. It was risky, no doubt- I knew how dangerous bathrooms could be from horror games and scary movies. The fact that there was only one exit meant that it was easy to be cornered. However, at this point my lungs were close to collapsing. Besides, I couldn't think of anywhere else nearby that I could stop inside to think.

_As long as I'm quiet they shouldn't be able to find me inside… _I thought as I got closer to the door to the men's bathroom. I quickly opened it and slid inside, waiting for the door to close behind me before rushing to the nearest stall. I quickly pulled out a handful of toilet paper and coughed into it to relieve my constricted lungs, trying to be as quiet as possible while I did so. However, this was difficult as it quickly escalated into a coughing fit. Once I had finally recovered I looked down and grimaced as the toilet paper was stained red with my blood. I disgustedly spat the rest of the blood in my mouth into the toilet before tossing the toilet paper and wiping my face clean.

Falling from the ceiling? Not recommended.

My lungs were feeling better and I could breathe somewhat like a normal human being again, so I walked back over to the bathroom door while thinking about to do next. As much as I would like to stay in a single place for a couple of minutes, I wasn't keen on the idea of waiting to be cornered in a bathroom. I reached for the door handle, but paused as I heard something outside. My eyes widened as I realized that they were approaching footsteps, so I flattened myself along the wall beside the door and waited for them to pass.

Luckily that's exactly what they did, rushing past without even slowing near the door. Still, I waited a moment after they passed before peeking out into the hall. It was quiet… in a way that I found very unsettling. But it at least meant that no animatronics were nearby, so I took a breath before running out into the halls once more.

Staying in the office hadn't worked. Hiding in the vents hadn't worked. Those were two of my major strategies that were now crossed off the list of possible survival plans. This left me with one other major approach that had been surprisingly effective so far: running and hiding.

And so I would run quickly but stealthily through the halls from party room to party room, passage to passage. I would only stop occasionally to catch my breath or listen for the animatronics. But this wasn't the entirety of my plan. See, even though they had trapped me in the office earlier it was still a valuable cornerstone of defense for me. With any luck I still had enough power to make it through the night, if only I could prolong how long I could last in the halls outside of the office. If I could last until, say, 4 o'clock then I figured I would have enough power left to lock myself in until morning. Of course even this was guesswork, shaky at best, but seeing as the animatronics became more difficult to deal with the further the night progressed, I_ really_ didn't want to see what they were capable of as it neared 6.

And so I decided that this was my best bet to make it until morning: I would stay on the move and avoid my pursuers to the best of my ability, doing whatever it took to stay out just long enough to conserve power. Then, when I was confident I could make it the rest of the night with what energy I had remaining for the doors, I would return to the office from the right side- meaning that I would come in through the left door in the office. However, this came with a risk- the left door had been closed when I ran past Chica earlier. I didn't have time to open it, so there was still a chance it would be closed when I got there. However, I also knew by now that the animatronics could operate the doors as well, and were keen to use them to their benefit whenever possible. This lead me to believe that one of the animatronics would have opened it by now. Why exactly would they do that? I wasn't sure in the slightest. However, I had yet to hear the main generator shut down, which would have signified that I was officially out of power. The fact that I still had power remaining led me to believe that the door had been opened, otherwise it would have bled me dry by now.

This hope that the left door was still open kept my plan alive. I would move in a pattern that slowly moved me in the direction of the main right hallway, all to prepare myself for returning to the office when the time came. However, I had been right about tonight being the most difficult yet- Bonnie and Chica had been absolutely relentless, tracking me down or perhaps just stumbling upon me by sheer luck several times throughout the night. Sometimes I would hear one of them in the room next to me, or would find myself running from them as they charged from the shadows. They also seemed to be faster tonight than the previous, tailing me with little room between us. The only reason I could repeatedly escape them was that my ankle had more or less healed by now, allowing me to sprint at almost full speed again.

The only other thing that seemed off to me was Freddy- or more accurately, a lack of him. Had it not been for his occasional laughter echoing through the halls I would have a hard time proving that the bear was even around. This was interesting since all signs pointed to him being the leader of the group- which would imply that he would be seeking me just as accurately as the other two were. It was highly suspect, but I wasn't complaining. I might die of fright if I saw those flashing eyes of his glaring at me from the darkness.

Time passed slowly but surely as I forced my exhausted body to keep moving. Finally I decided that everything was lined up for me to return to the office. I had stayed away long enough to assure me that my power level was reliable, and I had a pretty straight shot from the storage room I was hiding in to the right-hall side of the office. The only problem with this plan was how it was a pretty long stretch to the door, even though it was a linear one. To get there I would have to make it past several open party rooms and corridors that would expose my position to anything hiding nearby.

However I had luck on my side recently, not having heard or seen Bonnie or Chica for the last fifteen minutes or so. This reassured me a bit, seeing as this stretch of safety was what allowed me into the position to make it to the office in the first place.

But wait… _was_ it good fortune?

I hadn't encountered any signs of the two animatronics in fifteen minutes, which was a radical change of pace, even from the previous nights. Taking into account that this night in particular they were even more active than usual, their absence seemed… well, bizarre. Could it be that they were planning something? If so, my best bet was to just stay here and wait out the clock…

… But what if they weren't planning something? In that case I was a sitting duck right now.

I stared in the direction of the left door longingly- there was a definitive safe zone for me to wait out the night. But if I broke my cover and one of them was nearby…

I mentally argued my options for a minute or so, weighing my options carefully. Ironic, given that the plan I decided to go with was likely the most reckless thing imaginable.

A full-out run straight to the office. No caution, no stealth.

I figured that if one of the animatronics _were _to chase me, then all I would have to do to survive was beat them there and close the doors. It was risky, but also absolute. If I could pull this off then I will have completed my week at Freddy Fazbear's. It was one last crazy idea to survive, a metaphorical 'going out with a bang' scenario.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," I whispered as I crouched down and got ready to run. "Ankle, don't fail me now."

The stretch of dark hallways in front of me seemed to expand as I took into account how far I would really have to sprint in order to make it there safely. It was nerve-racking to say the least, but I was determined. The very thought that this one run could end all of my terror was enough to make the risk well worth it.

I took one slow but shaky breath, closing my eyes as I cleared my head and calmed my nerves. Then, like a bullet I was off.

I ran as fast as I ever had, my sneakers pounding at the ground like lightning in the quiet building. Undoubtedly the noise I produced would reach the animatronics, but that didn't matter at this point. For now I just focused on the floor in front of me, taking quick strides past company posters and open doorways. My breathing was heavy but paced, my exhales matching the tempo of my steps as I ran on. By now my tunnel-vision was in full effect by the time I reached the right hallway, the sides of the hall in front of me blurred as I strained to see the light coming from the office. Finally, after a few moments of running I saw it, the soft glow of the interior lighting beckoning me to safety. I focused on that safety, made it my entire world as I progressed, until some movement came from the left of the hall in front of me.

A large object suddenly shot out from a side room and obstructed the hall in front of me, effectively blocking my route to the office as well. As two shining red eyes met mine I realized that it was Bonnie, guarding the right hall as she was so famous for doing. I didn't even need my flashlight to see that she wore a murderous grin on her face, but I wasn't going to let it phase me.

_There is always a struggle before reward- overcoming the hardships that face you are what make the reward even better in the end._

I gritted my teeth as I continued to rush forward, not letting her sudden appearance in the hall influence my speed in any way. As I got closer Bonnie must have realized this, as her twisted grin faltered and turned into surprise. It was only momentary though, as her murderous glare returned and she began to actually run at me as well.

So be it.

The distance between us closed quickly as we charged at each other, her arms outstretched to capture me when I was close enough. However, I had another idea.

As soon as I came within her reach she swung at me with her right arm, just as I had anticipated. I used this to my advantage and sidestepped, letting her arm pivot past me as I juked around her attempt at stopping me. From there I didn't hesitate as I turned and ran right past her, giving me a fraction of a second's head start as she recovered from her attack.

The office was easily within my reach now, the light shining from the open doorway cheering me on as I approached. I knew I was one lucky SOB to find the door open like I had hoped, otherwise I would have been stopped at a dead-end with a killer animatronic blocking my exit. I breathed a silent prayer of thanks for my fortune as I sprinted ever forward, the familiar footsteps of the rabbit animatronic following close behind. But that didn't matter at this point- I was close enough to make it inside and lock her out without running the risk of getting caught.

I finally made it to the doorway and turned, not even paying attention to the inside of the office as I rushed inside and turned for the door controls-

_**WHACK!**_

There was a flash of light and stars shot around behind my eyelids. For just a second I felt weightless, then my back collided with something large and solid. There was a crash and I fell to the ground, dazed and with a terrible pain in my head. It felt as though I had been hit at full power with a metal baseball bat. Desperately I tried to sit up and open my eyes, but my body was still reeling from the shock of the impact- _what the hell just happened?_

Then it all became clear, as I heard a sound that both sickened, frightened, and enraged me all at once.

Freddy's laugh- warped with sick humor while also carrying a vile hatred to all who heard it.

And it was right in front of me.

This time I forced my eyes open, only to find the world spinning and blurry. However, I didn't need good sight to see what was going on in front of me.

A large bear animatronic was slowly stepping forward, his right arm returning to his side from being outstretched. That's when it clicked- I hadn't seen him tonight because he had been here this whole time, just waiting for me to return. When I ran in the office I hadn't even been thinking about Freddy Fazbear, until it was too late.

The bear towered over me, a horrible smile on his face as his eyes flashed murderously. My head was still racked with pain, but I could still escape. I quickly looked back at the left door, only to find Bonnie walking into the office from it, blocking my way to the right hall. Then I shot a look to my right- but Chica was doing the same over there. Both had looks of triumph and violent excitement plastered on their faces as they obstructed any chance I had at escaping.

I cursed under my breath as the two female animatronics took their places behind Freddy, who stepped forward toward me with the demeanor to kill. It was terrible, but I wasn't about to lie to myself. I had fought hard, but in the end it was them outsmarting me this time. I had lost.

As Freddy took another step closer, I closed my eyes and awaited the inevitable. My heart was hammering, but there was a strange sense of calm in knowing that this was all finally going to end.

_I'm sorry Foxy…_ I thought as I laid there on the ground, awaiting my death. _I couldn't survive like I promised… I'm so sorry…_

I heard Freddy come within a pace of where I was and tensed- this was it. As he came closer he belted out another triumphant laugh, his arm extending toward me…

thud, thud, thud, **thud thud Thud Thud ThudThudTHUDTHUD**_**,**_

_**SSHHHIIINNG!**_

The sound of metal impacting with metal rung out like a gunshot, accompanied with a large flash of light and a bellow of pain. All at once sparks erupted from Freddy's chest as he stumbled backward from the blur of movement that had just shot into the room from the left door. Bonnie and Chica flinched in surprise as Freddy took a knee, clenching at a fresh gash across his chest.

My mind could barely comprehend what was going on as I stared in disbelief at the red figure who stood crouched before me facing Freddy and the others with a sharpened hook raised and readied on their right hand.

"F-foxy..?" I croaked out unconsciously, as my mind still didn't understand what was going on.

"Dustin!" A familiar voice answered as the animatronic before me turned her head to favor my direction. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, I think so…"

"Good," She said as she turned her attention back to the three animatronics in front of her. Bonnie and Chica were staring in pure surprise at Foxy as she protected me, both with their normal eyes rather than the terrifying ones that they revealed at night. Freddy, on the other hand, had finally recovered from the blow he had received and rose back to his feet. With a growl he turned to Foxy, but his gaze changed to one of disbelief as soon as he made eye contact.

"**F… Foxy?**" He asked, his voice returning to the normal, yet incredibly deep one he used for shows. "**Is that really you?"**

My eyes must have been wide as dinner plates.

"Y-you… You can _TALK?_ Like a _NORMAL PERSON!?_" I exclaimed in disbelief.

Once again he scowled and turned to me, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"**You runt, pathetic excuse for a security guard! I'm going to kill you nice and slow so you-"**

"_Back up!_" Foxy suddenly said as the muscles in her hook-arm flexed, ready to strike. "You get near him and I'll kill you right now_!_"

This time Freddy didn't even seem surprised, but rather turned his anger on the animatronic fox before him.

"**How dare you? I'll be damned if I don't kill this nuisance after all he's done, now **_**step aside**_**!**"

"_You listen to me…_" Foxy started, the hair on the back of her neck bristling like needles. "_If you so much as TOUCH him I'll rip you to shreds. If you don't believe me then look down- you're bleeding everywhere. I could have easily ripped out your core if I wanted to, and I will if you even think about hurting him. __**Got that**__?_"

This time Freddy actually did seem surprised, and I saw something on his face that I had never imagined before…

Fear. He was terrified of her.

Honestly I couldn't blame him though. Right now Foxy looked nothing like the gentle and sensitive thing I knew her as- no, now she resembled a warrior who was willing to kill and die for me. When she spoke her voice was ice cold and filled with enough venom to kill a man in his tracks with a word, and her hook was always positioned to strike with no hesitation.

There was a pause in which Freddy looked like he might actually argue, but after a moment his fear and anger melted into something else, a look that I couldn't quite decipher.

"**Why are you doing this Foxy? Why do you even care what happens to this night guard? Don't you remember-**"

"Of course I remember," She hissed, "In fact, I remember _everything._"

Freddy recoiled as though she had actually struck him with her hook again. The hurt and anger mixed on his face remained for a moment before he huffed and turned toward the right door, pausing only to shoot me another murderous look before stomping back into the halls.

As soon as he was gone Foxy turned and rushed to me, pulling me into a tight hug before fretting over me like a mother.

"Are you sure you're alright?" She asked as she inspected my body, "_They_ didn't do anything to you, did they?"

She shot an icy glare at the two female animatronics who still stood in shock by the desk. At seeing her turn on them they both jumped and shook their heads, terror in their eyes.

"No… Not really," I answered softly.

"Thank God…" She said as she pulled me into another hug, "I thought I lost you… I'm so glad I made it in time…"

"Yeah… But I'm still worried about Freddy. What if he comes back?" I asked, shooting a nervous glance at the right door.

"He won't be coming back," She said in that same venomous tone, baring her fangs as she did so. "I'll make sure of that."

Immediately she stood up and turned to the other two.

"_Listen closely."_ She said, commanding their attention. "I'm going to have a talk with Freddy. If either of you touch him, Mr. Fazber will be sweeping your parts off the floor for days."

The two nodded their heads nervously, though Foxy flashed her hook at them again as if to prove her point. Then she walked out the same door that Freddy had, the look on her face determined and aggravated.

I stared at the door for a long moment after she left, still letting everything that had happened in the last few minutes sink in. It all happened so fast… The attack, my rescue, Freddy talking, and Foxy scaring them all into submission… It was a lot to take at once. Finally though I looked away from the door and at the two animatronics by the desk, who were now looking at me with a mixture of nervousness and confusion. After a long moment the two exchanged glances, then Bonnie turned back to look at me.

"H-hi… I don't think we've formally met..." She said in a soft voice, "My name is Bonnie, and this is Chica."

* * *

**How was that? If you feel up to it, please leave me a review- those always make my day!**

**Unfortunately I'm low on time here so I won't be able to thank my reviewers of last chapter by name... But you know who you are! Thanks for your input, you guys are the best! Oh, and Zeil I think you should definitely post your stories if you can. I'd love to read them myself!**

**ah, sorry for rambling on there... I'm a bit of a ham for A/Ns haha. But with that said, it's time to wrap this up. Please review and ebed-ebed-ebed that's all folks!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	16. The Other Side

**WHEW! This update came so fast it's like lightning compared to my others XD**

**Hey guys, Starters here with yet another installment of FNaF: Another Side! I don't really have much more to say since a lot of you seemed very eager to read this, so... well, here ya go!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"H-hi… I don't think we've formally met…" she said in a soft voice, "My name is Bonnie, and this is Chica."

"I… I know who you are." I said quietly, though the words came without thought. Honestly my mind was racing, outraged and distraught, over how the animatronics who had been actively trying to murder me were now giving me a formal introduction. This whole time… The whole freaking week I had been here, I had assumed that they weren't conscious in the same way that Foxy was. I thought that… I don't know, that they had some sort of missing link or malfunction that made them behave the way they did. Never had I thought in my wildest dreams that somewhere behind their violent and hateful demeanors were legitimate intelligence and social awareness…

…Now, however, they were beginning to present another side of themselves. They were actually_ speaking_. With me, no less.

"Right…" Bonnie said, looking down with a discouraged expression.

"How about you?" Came a higher and more energetic voice. I turned to see Chica tilting her head at me inquisitively. "What can we call you, Mr. Night Guard?"

"Me..?" I asked slowly, "You want to know my name..?"

Chica nodded her head enthusiastically, but still kept her serious expression. Bonnie's ears also perked to hear my answer as she let her eyes rise to me again.

"My name…" I whispered as I looked down at my hands. They still had scars running across my palms from my second night working here. It was their faults that I had these scars… Their faults that I had seen the things I had and done the things I did. They were my hunters. And now… They wanted to get to know me?

"Now… N-now you want to know my name?" I asked sarcastically as my scarred hands balled into fists, "_NOW_ _you want to know who I am!?_"

They both flinched a bit at hearing the tension in my voice. Even I could hear it… But I couldn't help it. It just didn't make sense. Two minutes ago they wanted me dead, and now they were trying to talk to me like a normal person?

_Hell, they still might want me dead for all I know. _

My body began to tremble again, this time with a mixture of feelings: Anger, fear, confusion… None of this made sense. You can't just flip a switch to bring out another side of someone, yet these two had done it in an instant.

"_After all this time, NOW you care!?_" I yelled, looking at them both with seething eyes brimming with tears.

I looked from Bonnie's face to Chica's, back to Bonnie's again. Both of them were wide-eyed and obviously surprised by my reaction. Somehow that only infuriated me more. In fact, I was pissed. At them, at my situation- even at myself. Nothing made sense… even why I was getting so upset was a mystery to me.

"A few minutes ago, you wanted me _killed_. _Dead_. Wiped off of this planet forever. Now you want to know my damn name!? Now, you want to have a little _chat!?_"

There was a pause, in which the only sounds in the room were from my own furious breathing. Neither of them looked like they were going to say anything, which was fine by me. Now that I knew they could understand me I had a few things to get off my chest.

"Do you even know the hell I've gone through because of you?" I asked, "Do you even know the pain I've endured? And for what exactly? Why even try to kill me? What did _I_ ever do to you!?"

"W-we-"

"_Shut up_!" I roared, silencing Bonnie right as she tried to interject. "The answer is 'no', as in, no- you don't know the hell I've been through. No- you don't know the pain I've been in. And no, I don't even think you know why you've been trying to kill me. In fact, I can think of a few other questions you would answer 'no' to: _no,_ you don't know who I am or what situation I came from. _No,_ you don't know how I've hardly gotten any sleep because you two haunt me day and night. _No,_ you don't know that I'm piss poor and that's why I had to take this damn job in the first place! And most of all, _No_, you _don't_ remember me! _You don't_ remember how much I adored you, how much I idolized you, how much you used to _mean to me!_"

In my anger I roared out again and punched the rolling chair beside me, sending it flying into the adjacent wall and falling to its side with a crash. The two jumped in surprise at the action, around the same time that pain lit up in my hand like fire- but it didn't match the emotional fire I had stoked toward the two animatronics before me. Compared to that, a little pain was absolutely meaningless.

"Since you never bothered asking yourself these questions, I'll answer them for you!" I said as burning tears ran down my enraged face, "My name is Dustin Juniper, and I live alone because my parents are dead! I have no money so I _had_ to take this job- it wasn't exactly my first choice, you know. Every night I spend fighting for my life, not knowing for sure if I'll even see the next morning, and every day I spend worrying about how I'll survive that night. Since I've started working here I've fractured my right ankle, cut gashes in both of my hands, bounced my head off the floor enough times to give me brain damage, nearly had a heart attack, and now suffer from paranoia and probably even PTSD."

I was crying openly between my words now, but anger was still leveling off with the frustration and confusion I felt. The confliction was almost more than I could take, and I could feel myself about to totally break down- but I had more I needed to say. If I didn't, I would never forgive myself.

"When I was a kid I_ loved_ you! All of you! Freddy's was my home away from home, and _you_ were my family. One of the pictures that I drew as a kid is even still hanging here, but I doubt you pay any attention to things like that right? I'm just another face, _right?_"

I stared them both down, holding the sob in my throat as I waited for some sort of response. But none came… Just more staring and surprised looks. This, mixed with the emotional turmoil I was experiencing threatened to break me right then and there. I knew I couldn't fight it off, so in an attempt to save some of my dignity I pulled my legs close to my body and lowered my head onto my knees, using my arms to cover my face as more tears began pouring out of my eyes.

I sat like that for a while… balled up for maybe a couple of minutes trying to compose myself, before I heard footsteps approaching me. With a sniff I raised my face just enough so that my eyes would rise over my arms. What I saw was Bonnie standing right in front of me, looking down. But the look on her face was drastically different from before- remorseful to say the least. Actually it looked like despair mixed with horror. It came as a surprise to me, but she was crying painful tears of her own now, which ran down her purple fur and dripped onto the floor below. I sniffed again and raised my face more to look her in the eyes.

"W-what do you want?" I asked with the most anger I could manage- though it came out sounding more hurt than anything.

There was a moment where she just looked down at me, eyes filled with tears and body trembling, before she made her move. It was so quick that I couldn't possibly respond to it, but the result left me wide-eyed and speechless.

She began hugging me.

In an instant she had crouched down and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close to her. As one of her hands held the back of my head into her chest and the other held me by the lower back I realized that this wasn't safe. I was in the arms of the enemy, and she could easily kill me right now if she wanted to. With this in mind I made to struggle, but stopped when she suddenly whispered something soft and heartfelt into my ear.

"I'm so sorry… I just… I-I can't put it into words- but I really am… I _swear_ I am…"

Her voice wavered as she took a shaky breath, a hot tear falling onto my shoulder as she cradled me. For some reason I relaxed a bit in my caution… Maybe it was the sincerity in her voice, or the warmth and comfort that her body radiated- whatever it was, it convinced me to let her continue despite all she had done.

"I know that there's no excuse… I _know_ that…" She said softly, "But I need you to know that I'm sorry. I need you to know that we're not the _monsters_ you think we are…"

"_B-Bonnie!_ What are you doing, Foxy said she'd kill us if we touched him!" Chica exclaimed from the other side of the office. I looked at her from over Bonnie's shoulder, only to find that regretful tears filled her purple eyes as well. Did she really feel bad about attacking me too?

"I don't care!" Bonnie answered as she turned to her friend, though she didn't lessen her hold on me. "Look at what we've done Chica… We're animatronics, for God's sake! We're supposed to make people happy, not… _This!_"

"_I know that!_" The other exclaimed as tears ran down her face, "But what if she really does kill us? Or worse, what if Freddy finds out? What good will it do then!?"

"I don't care," The bunny animatronic repeated, turning back to me and placing her head on my shoulder. "I'm going to make this right… even if it's the death of me."

There was a shocked silence in the room after that- from Chica and I both. Again I lowered my head into Bonnie's fur as more tears joined the first on my shoulder. It was strange but… She was actually doing a good job of comforting me. I didn't feel as angry anymore, just confused. Maybe I had been wrong…

_She's not lying… She really is sorry._ I thought as she pulled me even closer to her, as if holding me tight enough would take away everything she had done. I closed my eyes and buried my face in the soft fur on her chest, feeling the warmth soothe me back from the rage I had just been engulfed by. Then another surprise met me, when I heard a familiar set of footsteps approach. I looked up like before, but by the time I had done so Chica had already joined her friend in hugging me on the floor. Bonnie immediately scooted over so that Chica could have my right side, placing me right between the two distraught animatronics. Even though I was letting them continue to get close and even touch me, I couldn't help but wonder-

_What the hell is happening right now? THESE are the murderous animatronics I've been running from?_

"You're right…" Chica said with a sniff, "This is our fault… We did this to him, and I can't stand knowing that. But all the other guards- they're all… I mean… What have we _done?_"

"I don't know…" Bonnie answered, "But I never wanted this… We really are monsters, aren't we?"

If the level of pain I sensed in the two animatronics before was high, then now it was absolutely unbearable. They each cried openly and loudly into my shoulders, Bonnie repeating the phrase 'I'm sorry,' under her breath while Chica clenched at my clothing with each sob. They were my enemies- the hunters who had sought my life for the past five days. And yet, I couldn't help but feel bad for them. It was funny, but one minute they were murderers and the next they were breaking down just like normal people. Was this another side of them that I had yet to become familiar with? Instead of bloodthirsty killers, were they really just sensitive spirits harboring a guilty conscience?

Slowly, hesitantly I raised my arms around each of them and pulled them closer to me as I fought off two things: one, a lingering fear that they could still be dangerous, and two, losing what little composure I had regained from my earlier rant. But after everything that happened tonight, it didn't matter- any way you sliced it, keeping myself calm was the hardest thing to do since I started working at Freddy's.

"H-hey, you're not… I mean, the things you've done are bad. Horrible, even. But that doesn't make you "monsters" …"

"Then what are we!?" Bonnie cried, "We've _killed_ people! Hunted them, tortured them- innocent people, who were just doing their jobs! And if you hadn't come along then we probably would have kept doing it…"

I paused. "That's true. But does that mean that you won't ever do this again? Hunting people?"

"Of course we won't!" Chica sobbed, "I don't think I could… I feel sick. I feel evil. I knew I never should have let Freddy talk us into doing it in the first place…"

_Freddy…? Freddy started this?_ I thought, _But why? Why would one of the original Fazbear animatronics randomly develop a need to kill? It doesn't make sense… Unless someone wanted it to kill..?_

I almost let my mind wander to the subject, but as the two animatronics at my sides continued to cry I realized that I had other things to worry about at the moment. A little voice was in the back of my head warning me not to get too close to them, as to not make myself vulnerable. But my conscience was even louder, telling me what I already knew I had to do.

"Then that's a good first step, isn't it?" I asked softly.

"Huh?"

Both of them looked up at me at once, their big eyes wet with guilt. I took a long inhale through my nose as I contemplated my next words. It still felt so… bizarre to be comforting them after all they had done. Especially since my current position started with Bonnie trying to comfort _me_. The situation had done a complete 360 now that they confessed that they saw themselves as evil. However, as far as I could tell they weren't actually bad in spirit- or maybe I just couldn't see the bad in someone after they opened themselves up to me like that. Regardless I was determined to make a change to the situation they found themselves in, just like how I had with Foxy.

"You've both decided not to kill anymore right? That's a good first step. To let that go due to guilt means that it didn't mean that much to you in the first place- that you didn't really value killing security guards."

"B-but we still did it anyway…" Bonnie said, "even though we knew it was wrong…"

"That's true, but you feel bad about it right? You regret doing it?" I asked, looking from one to the other as they nodded their heads slowly. "Then that doesn't make you monsters at all. You just made some bad choices… and even though people paid for those choices with their lives, it doesn't brand you as being a killer forever. You can turn things around if that's what you really want. You can go back to just being Bonnie and Chica the animatronics, without ever becoming monsters again."

I paused for a response but the only other sound was a sniff from Chica. They both just stared at me with large eyes, as if they were appraising me as well as what I was saying. After a moment I sighed and rested my head back against the wall, closing my eyes.

"Look, those people you killed are gone. There's no changing that. But you can use that memory, that guilt that you feel, to keep you from ever harming someone again. It might hurt, but use that hurt to remind yourselves that you're not monsters because you can still feel remorse for your actions."

I expected another pause from the two, but instead something strange happened. I felt a robotic hand caress my cheek, then push it to make my head turn to the left. I opened my eyes only to find myself within inches of Bonnie's face. I jumped a little in surprise, but caught myself when I saw her expression. Hope and disbelief all at once shone in her red eyes as teardrops wove between her eyelashes. It honestly reminded me of how Foxy looked when I first met her and found myself in a similar situation.

"Do you… Do you really believe that?" She asked, "That we can actually be something more than killers?"

"I do, if that's what you want." I answered honestly.

Then another hand came from my other side, holding the opposite cheek and pushing it so I faced my right side. There Chica was doing the same thing, her own eyes set on mine from inches away.

"And after all that we've done to you… after all the pain that we've caused, you can honestly say that we aren't monsters?"

"… I don't think you are." I said softly. "In my dreams you will be, but out here I just see two girls who lost themselves for a bit. That's all."

"In your dreams..?" Chica whispered. I sighed again.

"Yeah… No matter what happens from here I'm still going to remember the last five nights. I'm still going to remember the fear and pain that you both brought me. Even if we turn this around somehow, even if you two stop killing, those memories will always be there."

A fresh set of tears brimmed Chica's purple eyes as she stared into mine, but she quickly hid them by burying her face into my neck, crying quietly.

"B-but you… Do you..?" She whispered, her voice trailing off.

"What we want to know," Bonnie continued, "Is… Do you forgive us…?"

I turned and stared at her for a long moment. Everything around us seemed to pause- even Chica's soft weeping halted momentarily. Meanwhile, all I could hear was a small voice saying-

… _Do I?_

Memories rushed through my mind like a movie in fast-forward, each scene a terrifying situation in which the two female animatronics threatened to end my life. They had been cunning, ruthless, and unhesitant in their attempts at killing me. But now… they both seemed so sorry, so sensitive. Nothing like what I thought I knew them as. Then again, lately Foxy had shown me a separate side of herself as well, coming to my rescue and comforting me instead of the other way around. It was like everything had turned on its head and now I was faced with a familiar situation- make a choice that could permanently change everything around me.

"Yes, I do forgive you." I said, my voice positive but mind surprised by what just came out of my mouth.

_Did I really just say that?_

Silence filled the room as Bonnie's eyes stared into mine, wide and amazed. Meanwhile Chica's face was still buried in the crook between my neck and shoulders, her tears still silently running from her eyes onto my skin.

"You… Y-you do?" Bonnie asked in a faint voice. "After all that we've done…"

"Yes." I said, averting my eyes as she kept hers fixed on me. "If I didn't forgive you when you're truly sorry, then who would I be? To let you suffer for your past actions, even when you completely regret and hate them- wouldn't that make _me_ the real monster?"

I felt Chica's grip on my shirt tighten as she nuzzled into my neck more, the tears slowing to a stop but her breathing still uneven and emotional.

"You… Just… What _are_ you?" I heard her whisper with a shaky breath.

"Huh?" I asked, but she only shook her head in response.

"I think I know what she's saying…" I heard Bonnie say. I turned to face her, just as she placed a robotic hand on my thigh. I flinched at the unexpected contact, but she continued to speak as if she hadn't done anything.

"We always thought that humans were selfish… And that they were either vengeful and strong, or forgiving and weak. But you…"

She slowly traced her hand down my leg, letting it rise and fall with the form of my body under my jeans.

"You're both… You were so strong through the past five nights, never wavering or giving up. Yet you're forgiving us… For every terrible thing we've done to you."

Her hand finally came to rest on my injured ankle, soft enough so that it wouldn't bring me pain.

"I can see why Foxy would take a liking to someone like you…" She whispered at an almost inaudible level, "You're not like any human we've ever known. You're… special. And _I_ hurt you…"

I meant to stop her from continuing, to say something else about forgiveness and not living in the past, but before I could she interrupted me.

"I know what you're going to say…" She started, a sad look in her eyes as she stared at her hand resting on my ankle. "But it's not enough… I have to make this right."

A single tear fell from her chin and landed on the tile floor below. Then, without warning she stood up and turned away from me. I watched her curiously, and even Chica removed her face from my neck to watch as her friend slowly began walking across the room. Once Bonnie reached the large security desk she paused, staring at it for a second before slowly raising her right hand and placing it flat on top of the fixture. I noticed it was the same hand that I had hit with the flashlight the other night, characterized by the large dent in the wrist. Then she raised her other arm, its hand balled into a fist, directly above the first.

"An eye for an eye…" She said softly- and that's when I realized what she was doing. Chica must have had a similar realization, because we both shot up from the floor to stop her before the damage was done-

But it was too late.

Her fist swung down onto the damaged hand as a blur, connecting with a loud crunch before she let out a terrible cry of pain.

"Bonnie, stop!" I shouted as I lunged toward her, Chica at my side. But instead of listening she raised her shaking left hand into position to strike again as both pain and determination ran across her face. Right before I could reach her she swung down, resulting in another sickening crunch and a scream of anguish. At this point it almost looked as though she couldn't continue due to the pain, but to my surprise and horror she began to raise her fist a third time, shaking terribly as she did so. However, I was able to reach her before she could do anything else and firmly grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing!?" I yelled as I tried to restrain her arm, but it was pointless. Using her robotic strength she easily tore free from my grasp and readied herself for another hit.

"What I have to," She answered in a firm yet pained voice as she swung again-

_Cling!_

Bonnie's eyes widened at the sight of the yellow hand that caught hers in mid-swing. She slowly ran her red eyes up the arm until they met Chica's face, which was both angry and distraught at once.

"_Stop it!_" Chica cried as she clung to Bonnie's wrist. "He already forgave us, you don't have to do this!"

"That's easy for you to say…" Bonnie said in a shallow voice, "You never directly hurt him. You didn't feel his bone being crushed in your fist as he tried to get away. I _did_. And because I did, I deserve this. I have to prove that I'm really, truly sorry."

It was strange, but Bonnie seemed unusually calm. Of course she was shaking and sweating from the pain she felt, but besides that her face was set and determined. I looked down at her hand and mentally sighed in relief when I saw that no further permanent damage had been done- though the dent was prominently larger now. It was a strange way of proving herself, but it worked. Any suspicion I had that she wasn't genuinely apologizing was now completely cleared from my mind.

"I know that you're sorry…" I said as I turned and looked her straight in the eyes. "You don't need to prove it by hurting yourself anymore."

"B-but… your ankle- and your hands… I hurt you, and now I need to pay."

"No you don't!" I said sternly, "You've done enough… Please, just stop. Stop as a favor to me. As weird as it might sound, I don't want to see you get hurt."

Once again that same discouraged expression ran across her face, as she looked down at her damaged hand. After a moment she gently removed her left arm from Chica's grasp and used that hand to rub the other, wincing in pain as she did so.

"Here, let me see it." I said as I stepped closer and held out my palm. She gave me a surprised look before she averted her eyes and lifted her hurt hand, which I gently took into mine. I was right- the closer I looked at it the clearer it became that the technology in the hand was unharmed, which came as a major relief to me. However, the dent and now visibly strained wires were going to greatly influence how much she could do with it, given that it was now obvious she could feel pain. Basically it looked like a robotic version of a broken wrist. Luckily for her, broken bones can be healed.

"How's it look?" I heard Chica ask from beside me. I jumped a bit at hearing her voice so close, but when I looked over she was also observing the hand from over my shoulder.

"I think it should be just fine." I answered, "I mean, it's going to hurt for a bit and I'm going to have to repair it soon, but aside from that there's no major damage that I can see."

Bonnie, who had been quietly avoiding her gaze since I started looking at the hand, suddenly turned to look at me in disbelief.

"…Repair it? You would really do that for me?" She asked softly. I actually chuckled.

"Well, yeah. It's not just going to fix itself, you know."

For another moment she just stared at me in shock, then slowly shook her head.

"This whole time I've been hunting someone… A human, who actually cares about us animatronics…"

The room was quiet after that, but free of the crying and distress that had been common to the conversation previously. Bonnie's 'eye-for-an-eye' stunt seemingly put all of the guilt and pain from earlier aside, and now the atmosphere had a strangely normal feel to it. Despite the fact that I was talking to animatronics about robotic injuries I oddly felt like I belonged there in that moment. Maybe that was because of all my time spent with Foxy.

"Yeah, you should be fine," I repeated as I let Bonnie take her hand back from mine. "Just don't hit it any more ok? I'm no expert, but something tells me that destroying your hand isn't very healthy for it."

My little joke actually managed to earn a giggle from Chica, which seemed to lighten the mood more. Even Bonnie gave a shy smile- and while it was a small and embarrassed one, I would take it over nothing.

"See Bon-Bon? There was no reason to go and hurt yourself like that- now Mr. Night Guard has to fix it up for you!" Chica scolded playfully, "I swear, you can be such a dummy sometimes…"

"H-hey, that's not true!" Bonnie snapped with a blush on her face, "I just wanted him to know how sorry I was, it had nothing to do with being a 'dummy'!"

"Yeah, yeah- you're just lucky he knows how to fix it," Chica answered while rolling her eyes, "Wait… you _do_ know how to fix it, right?"

Suddenly they were both looking at me with those big eyes. _Man, what is it with animatronic girls…_

"Uh- yeah, I think I can manage." I answered, "I mean, I fixed all of Foxy's body on my own, so one hand shouldn't be too hard."

They both blinked twice before the room lit up.

"Wait, you did _WHAT!?_" They both asked in shock.

"What? What's the big deal?" I asked, looking from one to the other.

"_You_ fixed an animatronic that had been in storage for so long?" Bonnie asked, "After all that time she must have been in pieces…"

"No, actually she was in one piece." I answered, "But she did have a few… problems."

Call it confidentiality, but I didn't feel comfortable with telling them about all of the issues Foxy had when I met her. I didn't really know where she fit in among these two socially, but earlier it seemed like they hadn't seen her in years… That couldn't mean that they were close in any way.

That's when another realization hit me. This whole time that Foxy had been alone and miserable, the other animatronics had done nothing to help her, despite being the most capable of doing so. It somewhat enraged me that even the ones she performed with would abandon her, but I was also curious- was there a reason that they cut ties with Foxy? I thought about bringing it up to them, but also realized that doing so was likely to bring another fresh set of tears and feelings of guilt. As much as I wanted to know their side I also realized that there had been plenty of tears shed already- and I didn't want my first civilized encounter with these two to be completely depressing.

"Now I _really _see why Foxy would take a liking to you," Bonnie said, earning a giggle from Chica.

"Yeah and good thing she did too. Otherwise Freddy would have you suited by now for sure- and that sure would have been a waste." The chicken animatronic said as she looked me up and down approvingly. I couldn't help but chuckle and rub the back of my neck sheepishly in response.

For a while the two of them joked around with me and made normal conversation, asking about how I found myself at Freddy's in the first place and how I was possibly able to survive through all of the nights. To my discomfort they seemed to find it amusing, or even hilarious, when I would mention how scared I was at certain parts of the week and go into detail with my reactions. However, I could still see the regret for what they had done lit behind their eyes, proving to me that they still had our earlier conversation fresh in mind. That came as a relief and even I found it interesting that they spoke of the previous nights as if it had been a game, or some sort of play that they had no part in. Maybe that was because of what I told them about becoming something else… They no longer saw themselves as the monsters they had been acting as previously. They had detached from what they had been, and now were just Bonnie and Chica the animatronics, giggling and joking at the stories of one very unfortunate man.

And it truly made me happy.

"So… Mr. Night Guard?" Bonnie randomly asked after a while of chatting, "Earlier I feel like we got off on the wrong foot… So can we start over?"

"Start over?" I asked, "What do you mean?"

"Like re-introduce ourselves, silly." Chica chirped, seemingly on the same page as Bonnie. I chuckled.

"Sure, I think that's a great idea."

I held my hand out toward them both in a formal shaking position, a small smile on my face.

"Hello, my name is Dustin Juniper- I'm the night watchman here."

Instead of shaking my hand, the animatronics just stared at it for a second before exchanging glances with each other. A knowing smile flashed on each of their faces, before they unanimously turned and tackled me, screaming:

"_NIGHT GUARD!_"

I was caught off-guard, but laughed after I landed on the ground unharmed. On either side of me was an animatronic, hugging me tightly with grins on their faces.

"So… Does this mean we're friends now?" Chica asked from the floor beside me once our laughter had died down. I put a finger to my chin thoughtfully and hummed, as if searching for the answer.

"Yeah… I guess so," I answered, "Though you both still owe me for constantly scaring me crapless this week."

"So what do you want to make up for it?" Bonnie asked from my other side.

"Well… To be honest I have a ton of questions about you guys, and the restaurant in general. I thought maybe you could help by giving me some answers?"

"Aww, I thought he'd ask us for sexual favors…" Chica said disappointedly from beside me, causing both Bonnie and I to jump in surprise.

For the second time that week, I nearly choked on my own spit.

"_C-Chica!_" Bonnie cried as her face turned bright red, "We only just met him, how could you say something like that!?"

Suddenly the animatronic chicken began to laugh hysterically, clenching at her sides as she rolled on the floor.

"Y-you two should s-see your faces!" She exclaimed between laughter, causing Bonnie to growl in annoyance as I merely sat there in a daze, my face blazing hot- it didn't help the situation when I remembered their tactics to get me out of the office the other night.

Finally Chica calmed down from her laughing fit and wiped a tear from her eye as she sat back up.

"Come on Bonnie, don't pretend like you weren't thinking the same thing." She said with a wink.

"I-I wasn't! I swear!" Bonnie responded in an outrage.

"Uh… Guys?" I asked, hoping to split the two up before a fight erupted. "Answers, remember..?"

"Oh right," Chica said as she suddenly stood and dusted herself off. "Well I'd be happy to tell you whatever you want to know, but It's almost 6 o'clock. We have to get back to the show stage before Mr. Fazbear gets here."

"I almost forgot about that," Bonnie said as she too stood up. "I'm sorry Dustin- but hey, how about this: we'll come back tomorrow night and then you can ask whatever you'd like."

"Ah… Ok, I guess that's fair." I said disappointedly, "But wait, how do I know you two won't pull anything while I'm alone? I've forgiven you but that doesn't mean I totally trust you yet."

"I guess that makes sense," Chica said, her face turning serious. "But remember- we've put killing behind us. There's only one person I would willingly kill at this point- but you're not him."

Bonnie gave Chica a strange look, like a mixture of surprise and awe, before she turned to me.

"That goes for me as well. Besides, you're our friend now right? We would never dream of hurting you now. I guess you're just going to have to trust us on this."

I smiled at her. "Yeah… I guess we are friends. Ok then, tomorrow night my doors will be open to you both. But I'd better get some answers out of this."

"You will, you will," Chica said, "But don't expect to be let off so easily- we're going to have questions for you too."

"Fair enough," I said with a chuckle.

Chica nodded at me. "Well, we'd better get going before Mr. Fazbear finds out that we haven't returned yet. See you tomorrow, Mr. Night Guard~."

She turned for the right door, pausing only to wink at me before walking out into the halls.

"I have to go too…" Bonnie said with her ears slightly lowered in disappointment, "But it was really nice to meet you Dustin. Oh… and thanks for everything you said earlier. Chica's not really the type to admit it, but I think you really helped both of us a lot tonight."

"It was nothing, really." I answered dismissively, "I'm just glad that we can all get along now."

"Me too," She said with a smile, but that quickly faded as she continued. "Though Freddy might be a different story. He's pretty stubborn, so I would be careful around him even after what Foxy did… Speaking of her, I'd better go before she comes back. She'll probably want to make sure you're safe before she returns to Pirate Cove, and I really don't want to end up on the wrong end of her hook."

I chuckled. "I hear that. Surprisingly she can be pretty scary when she wants to be."

Bonnie giggled then turned for the same door that Chica left through.

"Well I guess we'll talk more tomorrow, then." She said as she began to walk toward the doorway. But before she walked out of the room she paused and turned to say one last thing:

"Oh, and Dustin? Congratulations… you won. You've truly survived your five nights at Freddy's."

* * *

**To be honest, I was more on the fence while writing this chapter than I have any of the previous. With that said, I would love some input from you guys, and to hear all of your thoughts!**

**Just to be clear: We are now entering romance territory. Not only that, but overall hurt/comfort, and friendship as well. This next part of the fic will deal mostly with Dustin's relationship with the animatronics, and how he goes about helping or hurting the company...**

**...HOWEVER!**

**This is by no means an end to the horror. What's that? You thought I was done with that? Muahaha, think again dear reader! I have plenty more unique scary situations ahead, so don't drop your guard ;]**

**Thank all of you for your kind reviews chapter! And by 'all of you', I mean: _Godzilla King of Monsters_, Guest #1, _ultima-owner, MattyJones, DannyPhantom619, ThrashMetalMartin, NETGamer99, TheGrunt22, ChapaxD200, and drakenstar78!_ **

**Thank you all for reading! Though, I haven't yet been able to revise this chapter due to a crazy schedule, so if you are reading this before the day after I post it, please don't freak out over spelling or grammatical errors here and there- I'll catch them in the morning!**

**All that aside, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Again, reviews are extremely appreciated so if you feel up to it please jot me down a lil somthin' somthin' to read! **

**Thanks guys!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	17. The Confrontation (Plus Q and A)

**Hey guys! A lot of you seemed interested in the exchange between Foxy and Freddy after last chapter, so I wrote this up for ya ;]**

**So in chapter 16's reviews you guys left me with a ton of really good questions- it seems like everybody is curious about something in this story! With that said, I'm going to take a little bit of time here to address those questions before we start with the actual reading. That's right, ladies and gentlemen it's time for- Q AND A WITH STARTERSOVERLEGENDS! *Cue crowd applause***

_**ChapaxD2000 **_**Asked: **"Bonnie is my favorite and especially been female, and I want to know which one is your fav so can u put in the next chapter I will realize appreciate it, well thats all from me soo u can expect me giving u this blog-like reviews but I know u love them :3 take care legend or what u like to be called 'cause I still dont know ;P"

**Answer: My favorite animatronic is probably female Foxy... Idk why, but I just really like that whole idea! Still, F. Bonnie is probably my second favorite, so hey, BonnieLovers for the win! Oh, and I'm fine with whatever you'd like to call me- some people say 'Starters', some say 'Legend', but I'm fine with whatever! And you're right, I do love the blog-like reviews, they're always a lot of fun to read haha.**

**_NETGamer99 _ Asked: "**Is Freddy gonna end up as the bad guy for a bit, or is he come around and get used to Dustin?"

**Answer: This chapter should answer that question :) Yes, it is my intention to keep Freddy as an antagonist for a while, and after that... Well, I'd hate to spoil anything ;]**

_**Godzilla King of Monsters **_**Asked: **"I didn't hear a no to adding bon and chica to be shipped with dustin hint hint, also will you be adding any or characters from fnaf or an oc?"

**Answer: That's right, you didn't *wink wink* and yes! I have plans for the whole Fazfamily :)**

_**Boomburst **_**Asked: **"I will, however, voice the hope you will properly explain why they wished to kill, even if it seems obvious, if you are using the accepted lore. Also, will there be any animosity to form between Dustin and Mr. Fazbear? Thank you for your time."

**Answer: Yes, I have full intentions to explain their behavior more in-depth in future chapters. Everything will be made clear soon ;] and that's a good question... To be completely honest I have toyed with that idea for months now, so there is a good chance that _something _will happen between those two.**

**_f117squall leonhart _ Asked:_ "_**im pretty sure im not the only one thinking this, what chica said, will you be acting on that line? the "sexual favors"? is this gonna turn into a harem fic?"

**Answer: I hate to give you an indirect answer, but I cannot say for sure whether or not this will become an official harem fic yet. However, the sexual favors line wasn't all just for laughs... I wrote it with some plans for future chapters, which may or may not sway the fic toward a harem status. None of this is confirmed yet, though.**

**_Vantage77 _ Asked: "**So going from here can we expect to see some of the characters like Mangle, The Puppet, Balloon boy and the like?"

**Answer: Yep! In fact, some of those characters have already played an indirect part in the story ;]**

***END RESPONSES***

**Whew, so I think I got all of them... But hey, if you have a question that you'd like answered, don't hesitate to review or PM me, and I'll get to it as quickly as possible ;]**

**Without another second to wait, enjoy!**

* * *

Foxy stormed out of the security office and into the dark hallways, her glowing eyes set in a determined glare as she followed the path of the bear animatronic that threatened her precious friend's safety. It was odd, but before Dustin came along she never would have imagined being able to stand up to the other animatronics like she had earlier. However, now that she was repaired she had regained her physical confidence, and likewise after spending so much time with the guard she began to regain herself emotionally as well. All that he had done for her now gave her the self-assurance to come out of hiding and face her fears. No- even more than that; she hadn't just faced them, she had completely conquered them. All because of a certain dark-haired boy who literally fell into her life.

The thought of Dustin almost caused her expression to soften as she remembered all of her fond memories with him- it was almost hard to believe that only a week had passed since he arrived at Freddy's in the first place. When they met she was nothing more than a shell of the great Foxy she had been in her performing days, left broken and depressed after years of abandonment and betrayal. But now… _That_ Foxy, the one who was so lost and afraid, was gone. Now she was something in-between the sensitive female fox and the proud warrior that she personified, depending on the situation at hand.

She was strong again because she had something to live for.

She had _him _to live for.

The way he always came through for her… how he never failed to console and cheer her up… They were simple things that he did out of mere kindness, yet meant the entire world to her. And when he spent so much time and effort on repairing her it only strengthened her loyalty to him. But there were even simpler things yet that could make her day and wash away the world's troubles; little things, like his smile, his laugh, how he talked, and how he always seemed so determined to help others… the very attributes that made up his personality and presence were enough on their own to make her happy to be _alive_.

He made her glad that she hadn't driven that hook into her core. She cherished the fact that she had been a failure at ending her own life. Because had she succeeded, she never would have met him and been given the second chance she always wished for.

But now, even after she had protected her dear Dustin from three animatronics at once, he was still scared of one of them in particular- Freddy. And as long as he was scared she wouldn't be satisfied. Even if she had to drive her hook straight through Freddy Fazbear's core, she was going to protect her friend and give him the peace of mind that he deserved.

Her ears perked and she bared her teeth in agitation as she heard a crash in the kitchen, located in an adjacent hallway. Usually that room was off-limits to anyone but the chefs, but the animatronics paid absolutely no attention to rules as it was so getting in was a synch.

_I'd bet my voice box that he's in there planning something…_ Foxy thought with a low growl.

Sure enough, once Foxy entered said hallway a large steel door was wide open near the middle. Inside she could hear more noise fitting for a giant sulking animatronic bear. After spending so much time under his control in her performing days, Foxy knew just about all of Freddy's habits- and lurking in the kitchen was definitely one of his favorites. The room wasn't monitored by security cameras, so he could have all the privacy he wanted from the night guards as he plotted his next move. Right now, however, she figured that he must be in there because he didn't want Dustin to see him retreat through the cameras.

That was the other thing about Freddy… He sure had pride in himself. Being seen running with his metaphorical tail between his legs was about the last thing he would want.

Foxy paused outside of the door and listened for a moment before going in. The only sounds coming from inside the room were pots and pans clanging around and a deep muttering that undoubtedly belonged to her target. After a minute or so of listening in, the animatronic fox readied her hook and turned the corner into the dim kitchen, her golden eyes allowing her to see clearly through the dark. Immediately she saw the gigantic bear standing across the kitchen from her, facing away and grumbling to himself angrily. Foxy took another step forward into the room, causing Freddy's rounded ears to perk in attention. He slowly turned toward the source of the noise and froze when he saw the animatronic fox behind him, a look of concern on his face that he quickly covered with false confidence and anger.

"**What are **_**you**_** doing here?**" He asked in a growl.

"I believe we have some unfinished business." Foxy answered in her own aggressive growl.

"**Is that so?**" The bear responded with interest in his voice, "**And tell me dear, what might that business be?**"

"You know exactly why I'm here," Foxy snarled as she tilted her hook at him, "You hurt someone who means a lot to me- and now you continue to act as a threat to their safety. I can't let that continue."

"**Oh?**" The bear asked with a chuff, "**So that's why you're here… You're angry that I knocked your little friend out. How disappointing…**"

Freddy began to pace along the sides of the room in a clockwise motion as he spoke, though never looking away from Foxy while he went. Likewise Foxy walked in the same fashion opposite of him, always keeping the lines of kitchen counters and stoves between her and the bear as she stared back at his dark brown eyes. She could tell that he was truly scared of her, at least to some extent, but he wasn't letting it show much. Even so, her guess was that the shock of her earlier attack, along with her speed and sharp hook made her a bigger threat to him than he was comfortable with.

And that was just what she wanted.

"**Speaking of which,**" Freddy continued, "**Where is the runt? I don't see him with you… So that means…**"

The bear began to grin hopefully at the implications, though his eyes were filled with murderous joy. No doubt he was imagining the guard being attacked by both Bonnie and Chica at once, without Foxy being there to defend him.

"Don't get your hopes up. I made sure that the other two wouldn't lay a finger on him." Foxy answered coolly, effectively making Freddy's sinister smile waver.

"**You seem quite sure of that.**"

"Yes, I am." Foxy said while raising her hook up for him to get a good look at, "I made it completely clear that if anything happens to him, they'll be ripped to shreds."

Freddy paused, his eyes momentarily falling out of focus as he thought through the possibilities.

"**In that case… Knowing those two, one of two things is going to happen…**" He pondered aloud, **"…Interesting. Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see the outcome for ourselves then.**"

"What do you mean by that?" Foxy asked with enough edge to make a razorblade jealous, "What two things _might_ happen?"

"**It's really quite simple,"** He started as he began to pace again, causing Foxy to do so as well. "**They will either wait for my return to attack him and finish this once and for all- or...**"

"Or _what?_"

"**Or… They'll make contact with him.**" He answered blankly. "**With their curiosities, the latter is nearly guaranteed. From there it's all up to your little friend's actions to decide his fate. Personally I hope that he will somehow trigger their murderous sides, in which case you really shouldn't have left him unprotected.**"

"_They wouldn't dare!_" Foxy spat, "If anything bad happens to him, I'll personally do the same to each of you-"

"**Please mind your nerve,**" Freddy said in an annoyed tone, "**It's blatantly obvious at this point that you will defend and/or avenge him at any cost. The human means a lot to you, which is why you'll like the other possibility… That being, that he makes a good impression on them. Knowing Bonnie and Chica, they will easily take an interest in our little security guard. If he somehow caters to this interest, then they will probably let him live- or, as much as I may detest it, even try to… befriend him.**"

"There's no way they would try to become his friend. They've been trying to kill him all week." Foxy replied in a hollow voice.

"**That's true, but no one knows those two better than I do.**" The bear said, "**And to be completely honest they've held an interest toward our little**_** 'guard'**_** for a few days now. His constant ability to best us, no matter what strategy we used, has somewhat impressed those two. And the fact that he's rather handsome for a human male will only raise the chance that Bonnie and Chica won't harm him.**"

Foxy mentally sighed in relief. Hearing this from Freddy, who was the most hopeful for Dustin's death, helped to put her doubts for his safety to rest.

"**However, he's not out of danger yet.**" Freddy continued in a low drawl.

"Oh, really? I _know_ you're not implying that you're still going to hunt him…" Foxy threatened, tensing the muscles in her hook arm.

"**And what if I am?**" Freddy challenged as he glared at her, lights flashing behind his eyes. "**You're not the only one with unfinished business, Foxy. As far as I'm concerned, that guard is nothing more than a cowardly child. It doesn't even matter if Bonnie and Chica take to liking him, I'll still resent the human nonetheless. And despite your presence in the matter I still can't wait to snap his puny neck.**"

"I thought I made myself clear about hurting him," Foxy said with a returned glare, "Stop acting so tough Freddy. It's obvious to me that the real coward here is _you_."

The bear chuffed. "**Me? You must have forgotten your place here, **_**dear**_** Foxy. I'm Freddy Fazbear, the namesake of this company. I've killed more guards than I care to count- nothing scares me."**

Foxy stopped and stared at him for a moment without saying a word. Freddy paused in his pacing as well and tilted his head at her, before a flash of movement and sudden impact sent him tumbling back into the kitchen wall. In a moment Foxy had used her superior speed to vault over the stoves separating the two animatronics and tackled Freddy. Despite the bear's greater weight he was sent to the ground with a terrible crash, Foxy pinning him down instantly. Now she was crouched down atop of him, her feet pinning his wrists to the tile below as her hook held steady a mere inch from the bear's chest, its nasty tip in position to pierce his circuits at any moment.

Freddy stared at her wide-eyed and unable to move as the fox gave him a look that was unrivaled in terms of terror. Her eyes were locked on his, murderous and dilated, similar to those of a predator sizing up its prey. Her sharp fangs were bared and deadly, as if to prove that slashing with her hook wasn't the only means of attack that she possessed. Additionally the fur around her neck was bristled like needles with tension. Anyone watching the two right now would immediately assume that these were Freddy's last seconds- but no killing blow came. Instead, Foxy lowered her face close to his, staring him down as the bear began to panic.

"**W-what are you doing!?**" Freddy yelled as he tried to struggle free- but he was stuck. All he could do in his current position was kick his legs like a distressed child, which completely countered the badass persona that he had been putting on for her.

"You seem pretty scared to me right now, Freddy." Foxy whispered calmly, a strong tone of irony in her voice. "I guess that would make you a coward, huh? And according to you, cowards should be killed…"

As if to make her point even clearer, she let the tip of her hook graze the bear's exterior, leaving a small cut in the chassis beneath his brown fur.

"**Y-you can't k-kill me! They'll ch-check the security footage and destroy y-you!**" He cried, his eyes wide in fear.

"You want to know a secret?" Foxy asked, lowering her head so that she was speaking right into his ear. "I. Don't. Care."

Her hook dug into his "skin" even further, now an inch deep. From beneath her Foxy could feel his body twitch in pain and horror as he doubled his efforts in escaping. But it was pointless.

"**H-how can you not care!? If y-you do this, it will end your own l-life as well!**" The bear pleaded, grasping at the only lifeline that he had.

"Let me make something clear…" Foxy whispered into his ear as she slowly pulled her hook out of his chest. Freddy winced in pain as she did so, but that look vanished as the hook made its way up his body until resting against his throat. "…Are you listening?"

"**Y-y-yes,**" The bear croaked out under the pressure of the metal against his neck.

"That 'runt' back there? He's the most important thing in the world to me. I would _die_ for him…" She trailed off as she pressed down harder with her feet, adding pressure to Freddy's already strained wrists. "And… I would _kill_ for him."

She slowly pushed the hook into his animatronic neck, running the metal back and forth along his throat, as if she was searching for something. Finally she found what she wanted and turned the hook so that it was ready to impale her target. That's when Freddy's eyes widened in realization-

Her hook was aimed at his voice box.

"**N-no… Please, don't-**"

"What a lovely voice you have, Freddy…" She mused viciously, her voice sharp and unforgiving. "So beautiful and perfect for singing- it sure would be a shame if you lost it."

As she added some pressure to the hook, Freddy felt the tip break his exterior and finally did the thing that Foxy had been waiting for-

He broke.

"**S-stop, please!**" The bear cried, tears welling up in his eyes that now avoided hers fearfully. "**I'll d-do anything you w-want!"**

Foxy smiled victoriously at hearing that. Her scare tactics had worked perfectly, effectively silencing his pride and also proving to him that she was dominant. While it was true that she was willing to kill Freddy for Dustin's sake, she was determined to try every other strategy first as to not place her or Dustin in any trouble with the company. For that sake, killing the bear was her last resort to ensure her friend's safety.

"Good. First, tell me that I'm stronger than you are."

The bear paused only for a second, but met the request with tears in his eyes.

"**You're s-stronger than I am,**"

She stared down at his face while he spoke, but he wouldn't look her in the eyes- a primal sign of submission.

_Now that his tough-guy act is out of the way maybe I can 'politely convince' him to stay away from Dustin_, Foxy thought.

"Say it again," She demanded. "Louder."

"**Y-you're stronger than I am!**" He exclaimed.

"That's right." She said, adding more pressure onto his wrists to reiterate her point. "Now, I want you to remember this moment. You might be superior to Bonnie and Chica when it comes to strength, but not me. And honestly I've been through too much to care about your 'company namesake' title. Consider yourself lucky. After abandoning me like that you're lucky that I don't carve out your voice box and hang it up in Pirate Cove."

He nodded in forced agreement beneath her, his breath hitching with emotion. In-turn Foxy lessened her hold on his wrists by a little.

"That security guard is more than something to hunt," Foxy continued, "and if you harm him then you'll see who the real prey is around here."

Again, he nodded- though this time more grudgingly.

At this point it was obvious that Freddy had completely submitted to her strength. She had also gotten her point across to him that he wasn't to harm Dustin, so she lifted her feet from his wrists to free him. However, she kept his head pinned down with her hook until she was in a position to dodge in case he retaliated. Then she slowly removed her hook and stepped back as Freddy regained his breath beneath her. Once freed, one of his large hands immediately went to rub his throat, while he still sobbed quietly in fear and discouragement. After a couple of moments he had regained himself for the most part and sat up, but still fought to stop shaking. For a number of years Freddy had been at the top of the Freddy's food chain, so being put into a potentially life-ending situation was tough for him to handle. However, that was what Foxy needed for him to respect her.

"Please, mind your nerve." Foxy spat, mocking his earlier comment while the bear turned and glared up at her. However, instead of firing back he just grumbled to himself and lowered his face to inspect his wrists.

A few moments of silence followed after that, and before long Freddy had completely composed himself and made to stand up. Foxy watched him closely as he did so, waiting until he was standing completely before speaking.

"Have we come to an understanding?"

Freddy shot her a sour look, as if she had just beaten him at some kind of sport.

"…**Yes. I won't hurt the guard."** He muttered.

"Good." She replied. "Now go. It's almost morning and the others will be returning to the show stage soon."

Freddy didn't respond but instead quietly made for the door, walking past her without a word or even eye contact. However, when he reached the entrance to the hall he paused and turned his head to look at her for a moment.

"**You really have changed Foxy**." He said in a low voice, "**Honestly you caught me off-guard tonight. Seeing you was the last thing I would have imagined happening.**"

"Same here," She answered, "But my friend was in trouble. I couldn't just stay hidden and let him get hurt."

Another pause.

"**Tell me… Why do you care for him so greatly? Why would you risk your life for a human, after everything they've done to us?**"

"Because he's different." She answered simply, "He helped me when I was in need… Unlike you and the others."

Once again Freddy flinched as though she had attacked him, and stared at her for a long moment. Then he sighed, looking out into the dark hall as he continued.

"**We've all been through hell, Foxy. Every last one of us. I didn't abandon you because I wanted to- I did it because I wanted to protect Bonnie and Chica from going down the same hole that everyone else has.**"

"Everyone else is gone." Foxy said in a shallow voice, "But me? I was right here. All you had to do was open a set of curtains. Instead you pretended like I didn't exist, and left me to rot. As far as I'm concerned, that's unforgivable. To just throw your friend- your family- out of your life like garbage."

"**I'm not perfect, nor do I expect you to forgive us. But I want you to know that we never forgot about you. After what happened it was hard to try reconnecting with you. I didn't cut you off because I hated you. I did it because I wanted to protect them.**"

"You cut off an arm to save the rest of the body…" Foxy mused quietly. "Is that how it is?"

"… **Sadly, yes.**"

"Even though I was completely innocent?"

"… **Yes."**

Another length of silence surrounded the two, but Freddy still didn't leave. After a while he spoke up again, his tone more firm than it had been in the recent conversation.

"**You care for this human… You protect him and, from what I can see, he has done a good job of repairing you. On some level I respect that, I truly do, but I have to be honest with you-**"

Once again he turned from the hall to look at Foxy, a serious expression on his face.

"**While I gave you my word that I would not hurt him, I have three conditions for that to remain the case. And please, before you try to scare me into leaving him alone again take this into account: You are strong, but there are three of us. You might take one of us out in protecting him, but I still hold some authority over the others and am confident that we can subdue you if need be."**

Foxy's expression tensed, and she fought the urge to growl. Even after all of that, Freddy was still admitting to be a threat to Dustin if the right circumstance was met- and as much as she hated to admit it, he was right about being able to subdue her. It didn't matter that she had her hook and great speed, he had her outnumbered. That meant that killing her to get to Dustin was a very realistic task on his part, no matter how hard she might try to fight back.

_I should have known that he would use the other two against me_, She thought, _Even though I scared him into respecting me temporarily, he isn't an idiot. He knows that if he can get the others on his side then I don't stand a chance._

"… What are the conditions that you mentioned?" She asked softly.

"**One, that he doesn't threaten us. You might still have some trust reserved for humans, but I do not. If he makes any move that I deem suspicious or a threat to Bonnie or Chica, then I will kill him.**"

At hearing 'kill him' Foxy tensed, but fought the urge to argue. After all she only had so much leverage in this situation, and she didn't want to anger Freddy into adding harsher conditions onto his promise.

"**Two,**" Freddy continued, "**That he doesn't stick his nose where it doesn't belong. If he finds this limited neutrality between his position as the night guard and us animatronics to be a window to contact authorities, then I will kill him. I will not tolerate detectives or other law enforcement snooping around just because of his meddling.**"

"And what's the third condition?" Foxy asked dismissively.

In return Freddy gave her a small glare, though only to express the importance of the final condition.

"**Three, that he doesn't get in my way.**" Freddy answered bluntly. "**I will not have my role here challenged by him, nor will I tolerate him getting a big head.** **Understood?"**

"…Yes." Foxy answered. "But even if he does violate one of these conditions, I hope you know that I'll still protect him with my life."

"**I figured you might say that,**" He responded with a disappointed tone, "**And it really is a shame. If not for your allegiance to him we would be celebrating your return rather than fighting.**"

"If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here at all. He's the entire reason that I am the way I am right now. Without him… I'd be nothing."

In response Freddy only shook his head quietly, then turned back to the hall.

"**You feel very strongly about him… I can't help but wonder…**"

"Wonder what?" She asked.

"**Would you entrust him with your life, as he trusts you with his? Do you… love him?"**

Foxy's eyes widened at the unexpected question, and she was shocked into silence. At hearing the word 'love' a strange feeling came over her, just momentarily, that caused her face to grow as warm as the sudden feeling in her chest.

_Love? _She thought, _Do I… Love him? What does that mean..?_

Freddy chuffed from the doorway and shook his head once more. Then he took a step out into the darkness, leaving her with one last statement before he faded from sight.

"**Never mind, it's nothing but my curiosity I suppose. For the time being I will tolerate his presence, and even let the other two interact with him as they wish. But Foxy… I will implore you to be careful around him- Humans are rarely what they seem.**"

With that he left, the only sounds being his fading footsteps as Foxy stared at the empty doorway after him. It took her a few moments to collect her thoughts and process everything that had just occurred. Finally she shook her head free of ponderance and made for the doorway, turning the opposite direction into the hall as Freddy had gone. As the fox walked toward the security office to see Dustin she attempted to put aside all that Freddy had said. After all, there was plenty of time to think about it later. However, no matter how hard she tried one of the bear's final statements continued to resurface in her mind.

…Was it true? Or was it just a means to throw her off her guard?

Regardless, one thing was for sure- nights at Freddy Fazbear's were about to become very different, for both the guard and the animatronics alike. Only time would tell what that change would bring, and how it would affect those still inside of the Pizzaria's walls when the lights went out.

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**Yes, that last part was meant to make you wonder XD was it the question about love that Foxy was so focused on, or the statement about humans rarely being what they seem? Designed to be up for debate ;]**

**So I came very close to labeling this chapter as a bonus, but thought that I might as well just make it an actual chapter. Not that it's short or anything like that, but I felt a little off-topic while writing it... Maybe because for once Dustin wasn't in the chapter at all :p idk, what did you guys think? Leave me a review if you feel up to it!**

**Thanks everyone!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	18. The New Beginning

**Hey valued readers! Sorry for the wait on this chapter, but I've been a busy man lately. Regardless, I worked through a lot of the weekend to make this for you all, so I hope you enjoy it!**

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**Dustin's POV**

I sat against the wall of the office for a while, doing nothing other than staring at the doorway that Bonnie and Chica had left through. For some reason I was having a hard time digesting this new development in our relationship, and as a result ran through the last couple of hours through my head in a constant loop. In a chronological sense everything was logical- I was cornered, Foxy saved me, and Freddy stormed off. That left an opening for the other two 'hostile' animatronics to be alone with me as Foxy pursued the remaining threat. However, that's when things got… complicated. They were unable to harm me without facing the possibility of their own deaths, which was obviously enough to keep them from attacking. However, once Freddy was out of the picture they acted as though they would never hurt me, even if Foxy hadn't intervened. Strange… was it just me, or did their demeanors change a little _too _quickly?

From life-threatening enemy to cutesy friend in such a short period of time… Could that really happen? Or was this some sort of trap?

I sighed- I truly wanted to believe that they really _had _changed. I wanted to be certain that everything that had happened between us had been honest. But it's like Fritz said- you can never be too careful. That's not to say that I didn't believe them. Some of our exchange- like how Bonnie tried destroying her own hand to make amends with her actions- were definitely true. I had no doubt about that.

_But what else can I decipher as being real? _

I crossed my arms and rested my head back against the hard wall behind me, thinking through the events once more. I remembered when Bonnie and Chica had hugged me earlier. I was right there, defenseless and vulnerable in their arms. If either one of them had wanted to, they easily could have killed me then. Maybe by snapping my neck, or crushing my windpipe, or even just knocking me out so they could force me into a suit without resistance. It would have been easy for them to take me out, if that's what they were so hell-bent on.

… But they didn't. Instead they did the opposite- they repented. They cried their eyes out, apologizing to me and every other guard they had murdered. And in some strange way, I knew it was real. In that moment they didn't seem like killer animatronics, or bloodthirsty killers. In that moment, I had seen two souls who were even more vulnerable and scared than I was. You can't fake that…

_Can you?_

I sighed again and shook my head.

"Well I guess only time will tell…" I muttered to myself, trying to push the matter aside for the time being.

"Time will tell what?"

I jumped a little and looked at the doorway to my right, where the voice came from. Standing there was an animatronic fox with rose red fur and a weak smile beneath her golden eyes. I smiled back at Foxy and shook my head.

"Oh, nothing… I guess I was just thinking out loud."

She hummed thoughtfully and began walking over. I patted the ground next to me invitingly, and she quickly accepted my offer by sitting beside me. However, as soon as she was on the ground she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug, her face nuzzled into the crook of my neck. In any other situation I would have chuckled and made a joke about her missing me, but this time I didn't. That's because this wasn't a normal hug… this was her way of showing how much she was worried about me tonight, and how much she cherished the fact that I was still alive. Her tail didn't wag, nor did she make those cute little purring sounds that I had grown used to hearing. Likewise she didn't show any negative signs, like crying or shaking. Instead she just held me, silently but with great care. After a moment I leaned into her hug as well, letting my head rest against her chest as I listened to her breathing. It was so odd to hear such a thing from an animatronic… even one as advanced and biologically accurate as her. I didn't even think she really needed air to survive, but regardless it was a small detail that I found very comforting in an almost hypnotic way.

"Thank you Foxy," I whispered after some time of silence in that position.

"I-It was nothing…" She replied. I could feel her chest warm up slightly and couldn't help but wonder what that meant. Regardless I refused.

"No, it was definitely something." I said with a run of my fingers through her red fur. "You saved my life… you know that, right?"

There was a pause, before she answered in a soft voice.

"You're my dear friend… I couldn't let them hurt you. After all, that's what you said friends do for each other right?"

I smiled. "Yeah. That's exactly what I said."

Another pause came between us, though I could feel her mouth start to open several times as though she was going to say something more. However, after many silent moments I decided to do the talking.

"After you left Bonnie and Chica talked to me."

I felt Foxy tense a little in response before she answered me, a layer of protectiveness in her voice.

"What did they say? They didn't do anything to you, did they?"

"N-no, nothing like that. Actually, they apologized."

Another pause. When she spoke again, her voice was much softer than it was just a moment ago.

"They… Apologized?"

"Yeah, for everything they had put me through. And as crazy as it sounds… I think I believe them."

Foxy chuckled a little, though it wasn't from humor or amusement. It was the kind of chuff that someone makes in the face of an ironic situation.

"What?" I asked, looking up at her. Foxy slowly removed her face from my neck and faced me, her golden eyes slightly worried.

"Freddy mentioned that they might try to talk to you." She said as she still held me tightly in her arms. "He also said that they might try to befriend you if you made a good impression on them."

"I guess I made a good impression then," I joked. Her eyes lightened a little bit, but she still didn't smile.

"So… they _did_ try to get closer to you then?"

I couldn't help but notice her hold on me tighten a bit, pulling me closer into her warm fur.

"Yeah, you could say that…" I answered. "I told them that I forgave them for what they had done, and later they even bluntly asked if we could be friends."

"… And you said yes, didn't you?"

There was a sort of distance in her voice, a tone that sounded as though she was inspecting the situation from afar and figuring out what it meant for her. I sighed.

"Yeah."

"But do you trust them?" She asked.

"Do you?" I fired back.

There was another pause, and after a while with no answer I realized that she was waiting to hear my response first. And understandably so, since she probably felt strongly on the subject one way or the other but also didn't want to risk hurting my feelings.

"…The truth? I don't know yet. I really want to believe that they are honest about changing, but there's no way to know for sure."

"Yeah…" She murmured, resting her head on my shoulder. "Just promise me you'll be careful around them ok?"

"You know I will," I replied with a light chuckle.

A moment passed between us where no one said or did anything. I just sat there in her embrace, using my right hand to hold on to her while my left helped to prop me up. Suddenly I felt a new kind of heat on my shoulder from where Foxy's face was resting and turned to see what the cause was. Her cheeks were somehow even brighter red than usual- what was she blushing so much for?

"D-Dustin..?" She asked softly, her blush intensifying further. "I have something to ask you…"

"About what?" I asked, a little nervous from how she was suddenly acting.

"It was something that Freddy asked me about when I was with him… I don't know the answer, but I want to find out…"

"Foxy, I have no idea what you're talking about-" I started, but stopped when I noticed that she was moving her good hand away from its place on my back. I uttered a small 'huh?' as she slowly but purposefully moved the hand from where it was placed behind me to my right arm, letting it rest there for a moment before slowly running it upward toward my hand.

"Dustin…" She started, her hand pausing to rest on my right wrist.

"Y-yeah?"

"I've been wondering about this… what is a feeling that is greater than friendship?"

I froze as I tried to uncover what she was asking me. As I thought about her question my eyes wavered between her hand gently resting on my wrist and her intent eyes shyly trained on mine. Her blush hadn't wavered once, and now I could feel my own cheeks heating up as I realized that the atmosphere in the room had taken a sudden turn to something I wasn't really familiar with.

"Greater than friendship?" I asked, to which she nodded at me. Her eyes were so focused, and her ears were perked for my answer. What had Freddy asked that mattered this much to her?

"Yes… Is there such a thing?"

"Well… Yeah, actually there is…" I said, instinctively wanting to rub the back of my head like I always did when I was feeling awkward. However, both of my hands were taken at the moment, so that wasn't really an option.

"What is it?" She asked, her fingertips inching over my hand.

"Uh, well, there's something called 'love' that comes on all sorts of different levels…"

"Freddy mentioned 'love'," She murmured, her fingertips still inching forward. "But what is it exactly?"

"That's a tough question," I answered with a sheepish chuckle, "The truth is, there are a lot of different types of love. You can love your friends, your family… And every now and then there is a totally different kind of love. One that is reserved for someone special who means even more to you."

Her eyes shifted downward thoughtfully for a moment, then she spoke again.

"But if there are so many types of love, how can you figure out what kind of love you feel toward someone?"

I hummed thoughtfully. "I guess they would just have to decide what kind of love they are feeling for themselves. You're right, there are a lot of different kinds of love. But I think that the more time you spend with someone- whether they're a friend, family, or someone special- the clearer it will become what kind of love you feel for that person."

Her blush eased a little as she stared into my eyes. I could tell that she was really thinking about this, but I still didn't understand where it came from. Could it be that Freddy was trying to play a mental game with her emotions?

"Hey, Foxy? What exactly did Freddy ask you that brought all of this up?" I asked. Immediately her eyes grew wide and her blush flared back even stronger than before.

"N-nothing! Well, not really, I mean I- H-he was just…"

I couldn't help but laugh at how flustered she had suddenly become, but shook my head.

"Never mind, it's no big deal." I reassured her, "I was just curious is all. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

She gave me a surprised look for a moment before the expression vanished into a small, relieved smile. I smiled back, but paused when her hand made another small move onto my own.

"Dustin..?" She repeated, looking down while her golden eyes still shyly retained contact with mine. "Thank you. I'm so happy that you're ok…"

As she trailed off her hand progressed even further, now close enough to easily envelop my own.

"I-I am too," I said with a chuckle, earning a giggle from her.

"It's just that… Our friendship means a lot to me. More than I know how to express… So…"

As she trailed off her hand finally moved completely over mine. Once that was accomplished she quickly gave a light squeeze in an attempt to intertwine our fingers- but as she did so an intense pain suddenly flared in my knuckles.

With a yelp I pulled my hand back, but did so with so much sudden force that I fell backwards. In turn Foxy, still holding me, tumbled forward on top of me with her own yelp of surprise. I closed my eyes to brace for impact with the ground, and when it came I felt another collision follow. This time it came from above, in the form of something very soft and warm covering my face. My eyes shot open, but all I could see was red fur everywhere. I tried to inhale, but the warm flesh surrounding my head made it nearly impossible to do so…

So I did what was natural in that situation- I reached up and grabbed whatever was on my face with both hands, pushing forward to free myself from the world of red fur I was stuck in. As a result two things happened…

Firstly I realized that there were actually _two_ things over my head, one on each side of my face. I also took notice that they were incredibly soft and round, each hand slightly squeezing into them as I fought to move them away. Despite the fact that each of the mounds was much bigger than either of my hands, it was easy for my fingertips to sink into the warm flesh and manipulate the protrusions.

Next I heard a loud gasp from above, followed by a flash of movement. In an instant Foxy lifted the top half of herself off of me by doing a push-up of sorts. With her body propped up by her arms I could see what had been covering my face and almost couldn't believe what was happening. For a split second I just stared at my hands, still unconsciously groping her breasts from above me, before a heat spread over my face so intense that it was a miracle my head didn't catch fire.

I shot a look up to her face, which was staring at me in surprise with a blush that might have even rivaled mine.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" I repeated, letting go of her breasts and quickly scooting out from under her.

"N-no it's ok!" She said as she also got up from on top of me. "It was my fault, I-I'm the one who should be sorry!"

"I didn't mean to- I mean, I didn't know they were- I'm sorry!" I stuttered out, sitting up and brushing myself off. No matter how hard I tried to form an understandable sentence, the embarrassment and surprise from what had just happened did a good job of handicapping my ability to be coherent. Not to mention the image and feel of fondling her breasts, which was now unwillingly burned into my mind.

"It wasn't your fault… Really, it's ok." She said, though she was avoiding eye contact with me entirely.

And so we sat there for a few moments in silence, our faces in a blush-off of sorts as we tried to get back on track. As you might imagine things were painfully awkward between us as I tried to regain my composure. An occasional peek at Foxy's face revealed that she was trying to do the same thing. Finally after a long stretch of quiet I heard her speak, putting a break in the tension.

"H-hey… Dustin?" I turned to her to find that she was finally making eye contact with me again and mentally sighed in relief.

"Yes Foxy?"

"Why did you pull away like that when I touched your hand? Did I do something wrong..?"

The discouragement and worry in her voice was painful to say the least. I suddenly felt really bad for pulling away from her like that, even if it had been out of pain.

"No, no, of course not!" I said, scooting closer to her. "It was just unexpected and… Well, I kinda hurt my hand earlier."

As proof I held my right hand up so that she could see it, and even surprised myself when I saw a large bruise forming on my knuckles. Immediately Foxy gasped and held out her hand to examine the mark. Taking my hand gently in her own while the back of her hook supported the bottom she examined the injury closely.

"What happened?" She asked, pausing to give me a suspicious look. "It wasn't Bonnie and Chica, was it?"

"No- well, not exactly. I kind of did it to myself…"

I nodded toward the rolling chair on its side across the room, and Foxy's expression softened with understanding.

"But why would you punch the chair so hard?" She asked as she tilted my hand into the light for a better look. I figured she was looking for any sign of a fracture.

"Let's just say the beginning of our conversation didn't go as smoothly as the rest…" I said, rubbing the back of my head with my free hand. "I got a little too emotional when they suddenly started acting so friendly after trying to kill me for so long. I yelled at them and punched the chair in frustration when neither would explain the sudden change in their behaviors."

Foxy nodded. "I can see how that would be hard to accept. But if it makes you feel any better, I think they were being honest about wanting to get to know you. Even Freddy thinks so, and he's the one who wants you dead the most."

I paused. "So… He's still going to try to kill me?"

Foxy giggled, possibly at hearing the trace of fear in my voice.

"No. I made it clear that you weren't his prey anymore. He even agreed to letting the other two interact with you if they want. However…"

"However?"

"He also has some… Conditions. If you break any of the conditions, he swears he'll kill you."

I gulped, imagining the large animatronic bear even more furious at me than usual.

"What are the conditions..?"

"Mostly he doesn't want you to get in his way..." Foxy continued as she flipped my hand over and ran her fingers across my palm, tracing my old stitches and looking for any other places I might have hurt myself. "But he also doesn't want you to be a threat. You can't get involved with the authorities and you can't threaten Bonnie and Chica. If you do any of these things then…"

"… Then he'll kill me." I finished.

"Well, he'll try to at least." She answered, looking up from my hand to my face with determination in her eyes. "But he knows that I'll protect you no matter what."

I smiled at her gratefully. "Thank you Foxy… For everything."

For a moment her expression changed into something I couldn't quite read- it resembled surprise but there was also something else beneath it that I couldn't figure out. Not that I had time to, as the look vanished into another heavy blush while she looked back down at my hand, avoiding my eyes.

"I-It's nothing… Anyway, your hand is ok. Just badly bruised."

"Good to know," I joked, "I'll try not to fist-fight any more chairs in the future."

She giggled and let go of my hand, which I pulled back to rub with my other one. I almost made a joke about how so many of us had hand issues here lately, but stopped when I noticed she was standing up and starting to dust herself off.

_Oh right, it's probably almost 6 by now… Mr. Fazbear will be getting back soon_. I thought to myself. To double-check I stood up as well and picked up the tablet. Turning it on revealed a large analog 6:07 on the screen.

"That's odd…" I thought out loud.

"What is?" Foxy asked as she walked over and looked at the screen from over my shoulder.

"Mr. Fazbear always gets here at six on-the-dot. I wonder why he's late today?"

Foxy hummed to herself. "It could be because of what happened yesterday, but he's always hated being late so I'm sure he's on his way-"

As if just to prove her right, a sound suddenly echoed through the hallways from the front of the building that I easily recognized. It was the sound of keys opening locks, followed by a door opening then quickly slamming back shut. Within seconds a loud whirring sound shuddered through the building, causing the lights in the hallways to flicker back to life as the power was turned back on.

"And it sounds like he's in a rush, too." I muttered, turning off the tablet.

"_Dustin! Dustin, where are you?_"

"Foxy, you should go back to the Cove before he sees you." I said, turning to face her. In return she gave me a disappointed look, but also nodded. I could tell she was nervous to be out of the curtains when Mr. Fazbear was here, but at the same she wanted to spend more time out of the curtains with me.

"Yeah, you're right…" She said, her ears perked to hear Mr. Fazbear. "Can we be together again tonight?"

I chuckled. "Of course. But I also promised Bonnie and Chica that I would talk with them tonight."

For a moment she looked worried, but I gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I want to speak with them alone so that there's no tension, but if anything happens I'll call for you."

She opened her mouth to protest, but I shook my head.

"It'll be ok. Besides, if you were there then I wouldn't be able to tell if they were really being friendly or just pretending. I need to do this to get some answers."

She seemed to accept my reasoning, though reluctantly, and gave me another caring look.

"Just be careful ok? And if anything at all happens, yell my name. I'll be there in seconds with a hook against their throats."

I smiled at her. "Thanks Foxy, you're the best."

She smiled softly and blushed, before turning to go out the left doorway. However, before she left the room she paused.

"See you tonight Dustin."

"See you Foxy," I answered. Then, as quickly as she had appeared in the room she was gone. Her speed and stealth really were something else.

"_Dustin! Are you here?_" Mr. Fazbear called out again from the entrance.

_Better not keep him waiting, or he'll think I'm dead._ I thought as I lifted the rolling chair back into its place and set the tablet on the table before turning to the left doorway.

As I walked down the now lit and colorful hallways, I began to hear the familiar Fazbear Band music from the show room. They sounded as though nothing at all had happened yesterday, and I couldn't help but wonder if they were just going to go back to acting normal as a way to pass their previous behavior off as some sort of glitch.

Finally I reached where the hallway met the large entrance room and scanned for Mr. Fazbear. When I finally spotted the man he was standing by the front doors, staring out of the glass at the parking lot. It was faint, but I could hear him mumbling something under his breath as I began walking toward him.

"_Dustin!_" He yelled again, suddenly turning away from the window as he did so.

"I'm here, sir." I said right as he turned and caught sight of me. As if he was seeing a ghost, the man nearly jumped out of his skin before freezing and staring at me in surprise.

"Y-you… You really…" He mumbled, his eyes wide. I tilted my head at him curiously.

"Sir? Are you alright?"

"You… Survived..?" He mumbled, looking me up and down slowly. "My God… You actually survived!"

I opened my mouth to utter another 'sir?' but before I could do so Mr. Fazbear suddenly ran to me, wrapping his arms around me so quickly that I was nearly knocked backwards. Before I could even gather my bearings he began patting my back in a congratulatory fashion.

"You really did it! Good job, boy! Hell of a good job!" He said while still roughly patting my back.

"Sir, what's going on?" I asked, trying not to let his patting waver my voice too much. Immediately he backed up, hands firmly holding onto my shoulders as he stared into my eyes seriously.

"The animatronics… They were so frantic yesterday that I had to evacuate the building. However, one of the entrance staff told me that you were still inside- by that point the building was already locked down. I couldn't risk opening it back up and someone getting hurt… I thought there was no way someone could make it through a night with them in that state. Not even _you_."

He paused to laugh hardily, relief etched on his face.

"But here you are, without a scratch on you! I knew I was right when I thought you'd be a damn good guard!"

I chuckled as he went on, but 'without a scratch' was stretching the truth a bit. Sure, I hadn't been seriously injured, but my head was still aching from Freddy's hit and the bruise on my hand wasn't exactly pleasant either.

"Freddy and Bonnie look a little roughed up though…" He said, suddenly serious again. "Freddy the most… the thing somehow got a huge gash across its chest."

My eyes widened as I realized I couldn't let Foxy get caught. If Mr. Fazbear found out that she had injured his star performer, it wouldn't end well for her. I opened my mouth to make some sort of excuse, but he held his hand up to stop me.

"Don't worry about it one bit, I understand that certain measures must be taken to ensure your safety. Given the circumstances I'll let the incident slide. I'll get a repairman in here later to stitch Freddy up and check out Bonnie's hand- the important thing is that you're still kicking."

I sighed and smiled at him. "Thank you sir."

He smiled warmly back, before his face turned somber.

"We still have a problem though…" He said, "Come here."

He turned back toward the entrance and I followed, until we were standing right in front of the glass doors. Once we were there it immediately became clear what the 'problem' was.

The parking lot outside was completely filled with news vans and other media sources. Camera crews and reporters were scattered about the lot, broadcasting with the restaurant in the background. Interestingly enough there were even some vans marked with logos from different states. Aside from the official news sources, there were also a line of people with cellphones and camcorders lined up on the street facing the building. It didn't take a genius to understand what drew all these people here- they were all looking to get a scoop on the animatronics that seemingly went crazy yesterday.

"Holy crap…" I whispered, while Mr. Fazbear grunted disapprovingly from beside me.

"Yep… There were so many damn news crews here that I had to park my car a block over. And don't get me started on the interviews they tried to give me…" He sighed and shook his head. "And I don't see them going anywhere any time soon…"

"Can't you just tell them that it was a glitch or something?" I asked.

"I suppose, but that's exactly what they're counting on me saying. If I do that then they'll find some way to turn it on me, resulting in a huge financial hit for the company. _I_ know that the animatronics are ok now that I've looked them over- and I'll have Fritz send some people to double-check their circuits for good measure. The only problem is that I don't have any definite proof that the animatronics are really ok…"

There was a small pause, then Mr. Fazbear gasped.

"Unless…"

"Unless what, sir?" I asked. He turned to me, hope in his eyes as he looked me up and down.

"Yes… Yes, that might just work! Dustin, you've been here with the animatronics all night! If you tell them that nothing unusual happened since yesterday, then that might really help us with damage control. After all, you're walking proof."

I could see where he was coming from but couldn't help but frown. Last night was the most difficult all week, yet he wanted me to tell everyone that nothing had happened. Essentially I was being asked to lie to the world in order to save the company.

"But I-"

"Dustin," He said, cutting me off and placing a hand firmly on my shoulder. "I know last night must have been rough, but this is a huge deal for Freddy Fazbear's. In fact, _your_ say might make or break us financially."

And once again, everything was up to me. Why me of all people?

Mr. Fazbear sighed. "Look… it's really simple. All you have to do is go out there and tell them all that the animatronics are ok now. They might ask a couple of questions, but as long as you stick to your guns they won't be able to prove you wrong."

"But this is also really risky." I said, crossing my arms. "If I tell them that the animatronics are ok then someone gets hurt by one later, _I'll_ be blamed."

"I know it's a huge risk, but… Dustin, I'm begging you. I promise that the animatronics won't hurt anyone- I'll personally make sure of that. What else can I do to convince you to go through with this?"

I paused. This had become an opportunity that was hard to pass up. Mr. Fazbear was obviously desperate for this- desperate enough to give me anything he could if it meant subduing the media.

_But what do I want anyway? Money? Time off? No…_

I thought it over for a moment before making a decision.

"Ok… I'll do it. But on one condition."

"Sure, anything." He answered with a sigh of relief.

"You're going to owe me if I ever need a favor. And if you refuse, then I'll go straight to the news and tell them that you had me lie."

There was a pause on his end too, but eventually he sighed and held out his hand in a shaking position.

"Fair enough… You sure know how to bargain though, using the news as leverage like that."

I chuckled and shook his hand. Doing this would basically give me an IOU that I could use for anything I wanted. As far as I was concerned, saving it for later couldn't be a bad idea.

"How else would I know you'll keep your word?" I asked, earning a chuff from him.

"That's true. You're a smart kid," He said as the handshake ended. "Not that I'm surprised. Surviving a night like that must really take some wits."

_And an animatronic fox with a hook hand_, I thought.

"Anyway, let's go put this fire out shall we?" He asked as he took hold of the door handle and opened it for me. "After you."

I nodded and took a breath before walking out of the building and into the morning light. As soon as Mr. Fazbear and I had made it through the doors the media went into a frenzy. Immediately reporters and film crews alike rushed toward us, asking questions and monologing as they went. As the crowd got closer I worried that we were going to be trampled and smothered by the large group, but before they could get near enough Mr. Fazbear stepped forward and held out a hand toward them in a 'stop' gesture.

"_If you want your questions answered, stay back and speak in an organized fashion!_" He yelled in a voice that was surprisingly loud. "If you can't do this, then my night guard and I will go back into the building and refuse to answer anything."

Right away the crowd slowed and stopped before us as a huge wall of cameras and microphones. I gave Mr. Fazbear a look of awe- it was as if he knew exactly what to say to get the media under control. Then again, given the restaurant's history he had probably dealt with situations like this many times in the past.

Once the crowd of people had stopped and quieted down a little Mr. Fazbear lowered his hand and addressed them.

"As I mentioned, this young man with me is the night watchman for this building. He has remained inside with the animatronics since yesterday's episode, and is willing to give a testimony regarding the state of the animatronics and the overall safety of the restaurant."

In an instant every eye and camera in the crowd had shifted to me- it was obvious that the center of attention had drastically changed.

"He will answer any and all questions now, as long as they are asked one at a time and relevant to the event."

With that he turned and smiled at me in a 'well, it's up to you now' fashion. I nodded at him then stepped forward. It was strange having this many people so focused on me. Not that I had stage fright or anything of the sort, but I could imagine that anyone would be unnerved by this sort of attention.

I cleared my throat before I said anything. I had to play my cards carefully here- not only was my IOU on the line, but Freddy Fazbear's reputation as a whole. And along with that went the welfare of Foxy and all of the other animatronics. I couldn't let them all down.

"My name is Dustin Juniper," I said, slowly turning my head to face one end of the crowd to the other. "I am the night watchman here at Freddy Fazbear's pizza, and I have spent the whole night within the building with the animatronics. I'm here to tell you that the issue with the animatronics has been resolved, and that they pose no threat to anyone anymore."

"Mr. Juniper," One of the reporters from the front said, raising his hand to get my attention. "You say you've been inside of the building all night? At any point did you feel your life was in danger?"

I almost laughed- I felt like my life was in danger every single night. However, I knew that these people had no idea that the animatronics became active and potentially violent at night. Otherwise this man would see the error of his question.

"No, it was a completely normal night for me." I answered semi-truthfully. "Next?"

"Mr. Juniper!" Several people responded, who all raised their hands for questions. I randomly picked a man in an orange hoody out of the back to ask first, to which he shuffled to the front with a microphone in hand.

"Sir, what details can you give us about why the animatronics were acting strangely yesterday?" He asked before pointing the mic at me.

"We believe it was a technical malfunction caused by an error made by the animatronics' maintenance company. One of the workers who had been cleaning the animatronics spilled some cleaning solution into the main motherboard earlier that day. Though it was thought to be cleaned up before the building opened yesterday morning, apparently some damage was done to the circuits controlling the band's behavior. This has now been resolved and the maintenance company has been notified." I heard myself say.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mr. Fazbear shoot me a contently surprised look. We both knew that I had come up with that explanation on the spot, and yet I had done it without stuttering or showing any signs of lying. In truth I even surprised myself… But it somehow didn't feel like me. I hadn't practiced those lines, or even gone into that question knowing what I wanted to say. It had been completely out of the blue… Was I really becoming that good of a liar?

"Mr. Juniper, would you be comfortable with allowing children back into the restaurant at this point in time?" A woman reporter asked.

"Yes, without a doubt." I answered with a smile.

"However, the building won't re-open until tomorrow." Mr. Fazbear said from beside me. "We will spend today ensuring that the animatronics are in perfect condition to perform. While the issue with their behavior has been resolved, we still need to make sure that none of the spilled cleaning solution has affected their dexterity or vocalizations."

The crowd seemed to appreciate his statement, and took just a moment to address it before turning to me and asking more questions regarding the animatronics and my position in the company.

And so the pattern continued for about another twenty minutes, basically a Q and A about Freddy Fazbear's. Occasionally Mr. Fazbear would interrupt the questions to make a statement, but otherwise it was the same ask and answer routine. Whenever a question was asked regarding the safety of people around the animatronics I would just remember how Foxy saved me and use that as inspiration for my answer- while leaving specific details out, of course.

Before long the crowd seemed to get the answers they were after and began leaving the parking lot. One by one the vans slowly drove off, and likewise the crowd thinned into the more patient newscasters. When the last of them had left, Mr. Fazbear turned to me and smiled.

"Fantastic job! Honestly I was a little worried about how you would respond to questioning by so many people, but you really pulled through for me today. I sincerely appreciate it."

"It was nothing, sir. Honestly some of those answers even surprised me." I answered with a chuckle.

"Me too," He answered with a laugh, "How did you even come up with the spilled cleaner thing? Is there something I should know about?"

He nudged me with his elbow jokingly, but I only chuckled and shook my head.

"No sir. I guess I was just in-the-moment and said whatever came to mind."

He hummed to himself thoughtfully. "Is that so? Well, it was a great answer my boy! Hell, if you keep this up I might just have to appoint you the official Freddy Fazbear's spokesperson!"

He laughed hardily at his own joke and patted me on the back. I chuckled back- if there was one thing I liked about Mr. Fazbear it was his cheerful attitude… Even if that same attitude could get annoying sometimes when I was being serious.

"Anyway," He continued once he stopped laughing, "You should head home and get some rest. I'm sure last night took a lot out of ya, and I would hate for you to lose sleep by my hand."

"Thank you, that sounds pretty good to me." I said right before I let out a very well-timed yawn.

"No, thank _you_ for all of your hard work- I knew that you were a rarity of a night guard." He said with a wink.

"No problem." I answered dismissively. "Just don't forget our deal."

"Wouldn't dream of it." He answered, tracing an X over his heart in a cliché "or hope to die" manner. It was a childish action, but maybe that's what I found so likable about him- he definitely wasn't afraid to act like a kid. Well, at least when he was in one of his good moods.

"I guess I'll see you Mr. Fazbear." I said as I turned for my car.

"Take it easy Dustin," He answered back. "Oh, and here. Wouldn't want to forget about _this_."

I paused as he reached into a pocket on the inside of his jacket and pulled out a sealed envelope. He smiled expectantly as he held it out for me to take.

"It's finally pay day- five hundred dollars, as discussed. And I may have thrown in a little bit of extra spending money for all of your hard work."

I smiled back and accepted the envelope, taking a moment to open it up and look at the stack of bills inside.

"Thank you sir." I said gratefully, earning a chuckle from him.

"For what? You earned it." He said with one last wink. "Now go home and relax. I'll call Fritz and have him fix up the animatronics while you're away. See you tomorrow morning."

I nodded and turned for my car while he made his way back to the front doors. Once I reached my car I once again opened the envelope and counted out the contents- $650.

_He gave me a whole $150 extra…_ I thought as I counted it out again. I was appreciative to say the least, but at the same time knew that there was more to it than just kindness on his part. Undoubtedly there was a reason why he gave me this money- possibly to keep me quiet about everything I now knew about within the company, or just to keep me around since I had proven myself as a reliable night guard.

"Or maybe he thought he would compensate for whatever happened to me last night..." I thought aloud as I started my car and left the parking lot.

After a short drive I made it to my apartment and quickly made my way inside. From there I tucked the envelope of money into the top drawer of my dresser and covered it with random clothing. Then I took of my jacket before collapsing into bed for a much-needed rest. With a sigh of relief and contentment at surviving another night, I snuggled into my blanket and let the comfort around me drag me into sleep. It didn't take long for my eyes to grow heavy, and as I drifted away I only thought of Foxy's smiling face.

…

Everything was dark, and I felt the serene feeling of sleep from within me. But something was… different. Despite the fact that I was asleep, this wasn't a dream. It was almost as if my conscious was separate from my body, and now rested in an empty plane.

_What is this..? _I thought, only to be met by a soft giggle. It sounded familiar… was this-

"_Hello Dustin_," Came an echoing voice, "_It's nice to talk to you again._"

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**Whelp, there's another chapter down, and another 7K words closer to my 100,000 word story goal! I hope you all enjoyed it, and would love to hear your thoughts in a review!**

**Speaking of reviews, thanks to: **_snowbeard3, Rosco Peeko Trane, MattyJones, ThrashMetalMartin, ChapaxD2000, Zeil, Goldenspartan86, Iamaturkey, Joshimi, Meoniman,_ **and**_ Xerzo LotCN _**for all of your support!**

**Until next time, thanks for reading!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	19. The Mark

**Hey everybody, StartersoverLegends here with another chapter for this story! It's been around a month since my last update, and I'm terribly sorry for those of you who were waiting for this installment. To be honest I was tempted to keep pushing it off to play BOI: Afterbirth, but managed to motivate myself- or rather, you guys did! After reading all of your supportive reviews from last chapter, I put on my determined face, covered it with a Freddy Mask, taped myself to my computer chair, and got right to work! **

**This was the result of that, so I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_What is this..? _I thought, only to be met by a soft giggle. It sounded familiar… was this-

"_Hello Dustin_," Came an echoing voice, "_It's nice to talk to you again._"

_That voice..! _

Instantly the events of last night rushed back into my thoughts- namely, an unusual conversation that I had amidst the chaos of my second Golden Freddy suit encounter.

"_Ah, so you __**do **__remember me. That's nice… I worried that you might have hurt your head after falling from the vents._" The voice spoke, "_Honestly, you have to stop doing that so often…_"

How did it know that I had fallen through the vents earlier? Was this thing… watching me somehow? Needless to say the entire situation confused me, and was also starting to make me feel uneasy. After all, I was asleep at home right? That meant I was miles away from Freddy's or the suit. If that's the case then how was this thing still talking to me as if I were still there? Could I have been wrong in my assumption that the voice was tied to the golden suit somehow?

"_Still trying to figure things out? Your curiosity just never rests, does it?_" The voice mused.

_Am I dreaming this? I must be…_

"_Sorry, wrong answer._" Came the reply, "_You're not dreaming. I've simply transferred your conscious state to a more… confidential place. The only ones here are you and I, so we can talk freely and without interruption. The only downside is that you must be unconscious for me to bring you here, which can be annoying for both of us if you aren't already sleeping._"

I flinched at hearing the voice's reply to my thoughts, but quickly remembered that it could read my mind. Regardless it was an uncomfortable position to be in on my end, but I put the matter aside and mentally replied.

_If I'm not already sleeping..?_ _How would I be able to be brought here if I were awake?_

"_By making you __**not**__ awake. Get it?_"

That made sense. Shortly after coming into contact with the suit I had passed out from something or another- maybe exhaustion of some sort, or even shock. I knew that I must have fallen unconscious because I remembered everything going dark… And that's when I had heard the voice for the first time.

"_Correct._" It answered. This response actually came as a surprise to me as well, since I once again forgot how this thing communicated with me. It was unexpectedly hard to remember that whatever I thought about was being broadcasted, and that prospect was equally as disconcerting. It didn't help that I knew little to nothing about this voice, while it seemed to know everything about me. Maybe now would be a good time to search for answers… After all, it seemed a lot more calm in its speaking now than it had been back at the office.

_Wh-who are you? No- __**what**__ are you? How are you doing all of this, and why are you so interested in following me? _I thought, imagining the words as though I were speaking them aloud. At first the only response that came was a light sigh, then the voice returned.

"_But Dustin… You already know those answers. I heard you think them to yourself earlier today…" _The voice started, _"… Or perhaps you were just shuffling through the possibilities? Regardless, I promised you answers the last time we spoke, so I might as well confirm your suspicions…_"

There was a pause, and I strained to hear whatever was to come next. Not only was I curious, but this voice was starting to worry me a bit. Along with proving that it had been following me, it could read my very thoughts as well. I had to know how it was doing all of this…

Finally, after a long wait the voice returned with a dark and serious tone.

"… _I am a spirit, Dustin. A ghost, if you will. As for my name… well, people call me many different things. 'The Suit', 'Golden Freddy', 'Fredbear'… _"

There was a slight pause before the voice returned as a soft whisper in my ear, giving the impression that the speaker was right behind me. The words that followed would have made my blood run cold if I had been in my physical body; in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if my sleeping form got goosebumps at the very sound:

"_Even… 'Insanity'._"

It sounded so close that I could mentally imagine the speaker's hot breath against my ear. I couldn't physically shake or show any other signs of being rattled, but that didn't stop my thoughts from becoming rushed and frantic. There was something unnatural about this voice… And while it had yet been harmless and even assisted me when I was in need, now that it had revealed itself I had a different feeling:

This spirit was just as dangerous as it was helpful. Don't ask me how I knew, I could just _feel_ it. The supernatural power it possessed, accompanied by a clever intelligence that let nothing go unseen by it. These were traits of something far outside of the world I was used to, and I could feel them all as it whispered its signature to me. This realization of what I was dealing with made me frightened, yes, but also very curious. For some reason it had acquired an interest in _me _of all people, and I still didn't know if that meant danger, or something else. After all, I could never be too careful with what Mr. Fazbear and Fritz had told me- that the suit, while rare, had also killed people.

"_As for how I am doing all of this,_" It continued, "_I have certain degrees of influence over many things. For example, the human mind. I can cause hallucinations, breakdowns, paranoia, confusion and psychosis against almost any human that I want to, though I've been sparse in my use of mental tactics._"

_J-just like those guards I heard about from Mr. Fazbear and Fritz… They all went insane after seeing the suit!_

Somewhere in the back of my mind a possibility clicked- _they went insane after seeing the suit._ I had seen the suit as well, and that was when my 'meetings' with this thing began to become more frequent. Was I somehow driven insane myself? The very concept of interpersonal insanity only layered onto the sense of unease and fright that was beginning to grow the longer I thought about it. No doubt I would be shaking in my skin if this had been a physical encounter.

"_Correct again._" The voice answered to my realization, but hesitated for a moment before it returned. _"…I can feel your fear. Why are you scared of me? Have I done anything other than help you since we first came into contact?_"

_Why am I scared of you!? You just said that you've driven people insane or worse in the past! How do I even know that this conversation isn't a sign of my own insanity? How do I even know that you're real and not something that my mind created?_

My response had been an outburst that I hadn't meant to say, though I guess there's no hiding behind locked lips when someone can read your mind. There was a pause after my words, lasting long enough that I began to wonder if I would hear from the voice again. However, a soft hum of thought echoed around me after a while, signifying that the voice was still here- wherever 'here' really was.

"_I suppose that's a fair reason to be afraid… But weren't you the one who wanted answers in the first place? I'm simply being honest with you, and yet you seem to grow more distrustful as I do so._"

There was another pause in the conversation, then the voice returned with a new tone… This time it sounded softer and more caring- or at least as much of these as the echoing distortion would allow.

"_You need to understand something… I may have done a lot of bad thigs to people in the past, but I would never lay a finger on you. I told you before that you were special, correct? Part of what makes you special is that I actually care about you. As a matter of fact, you are the only human that I currently care about. Needless to say, that implies that I mean you no harm."_

I let this information sink into my shaken mind and slowly let the voice's words calm me down. They were reassuring, but… Could I really believe them? If this was the truth then that would mean I have nothing to worry about right? On the other hand, it still didn't make sense… Why _me_ of all people?

_You care about me? What does that even mean? What makes __**me**__ so special from all of the past guards?_

Another hum followed my response, sounding as though the voice was searching for the right way to word itself.

"_Do you remember? When you were young, that is…"_

I was a little confused at hearing the question, but paused as I thought back to my past. I remembered all of the despair that I had felt when my parents died… All of my confusion when I was moved around through public housing and foster homes. In those days the only thing that made me happy was going to Freddy Fazbear's to see the band. For some reason those animatronics had filled some of the hole left by my deceased parents- at least temporarily.

"_Exactly." _The voice suddenly said, "_You were special, even back then. No parents… No friends… You were by all means qualified to be a shell of a human being, as well as a basket-case or problem child. But instead you never cried while you were at Freddy's. Furthermore, you weren't afraid of the animatronics at all. You even used to hold their hands- much to the amazement and fear of the other children."_

_Yeah… I remember that. They were kind of like my family, so naturally I wasn't afraid of them. Even though the other kids called me a freak for liking the animatronics so much, I still found comfort in having my own family… Even if it was only sometimes…_

"_And that's another part of what makes you special… You can look past how others feel about something and find beauty behind it. That's exactly what happened with Foxy when you found her. Because of you, she was able to become whole again and overcome her fears."_

I chuffed dismissively with my thoughts.

_There's nothing special about that… I mean, she helped me out and then we naturally became friends as time went by. Anyone would have done the same for her if they had the chance._

"_But they haven't," _The voice said seriously, "_Out of the countless thousands of people who have entered the restaurant since she's been detained, only a handful have even looked beyond the Cove's curtains. You, on the other hand, discovered Foxy while attempting a creative escape from the others. What's more, even though you had absolutely every reason to never return to the Cove, you came back again and again to see her. That on its own makes you special, doesn't it?"_

_I wouldn't say 'special'… She is my friend, after all._

"_And that's amazing as well. You are doing something for the animatronics that no one else has ever done."_

_I am? What?_

There was a soft giggle, though not what I would consider an amused one. It sounded more like the voice had correctly expected me to be somewhat lost with all of this.

"_You are giving them a friend. A __**real **__friend. That is to say, someone who truly cares about them as if they were normal people, despite the bodies that they host being different. You have already done this with Foxy, and look how far she has come in just one week. Furthermore, last night you challenged Bonnie and Chica's demons and made them realize their own mistakes. No other human would be as forgiving and supportive to them as you were."_

To some extent I could see where the voice was coming from, but at the same time I still didn't understand last night's events as well as I wish I could. My exchange with Bonnie and Chica had been an emotional rollercoaster with many unexpected and abrupt twists and turns. The memory of our conversation was a rush from anger, to regret, to understanding, and finally some sort of cautious friendship. Honestly I was still worried about seeing them again tonight, since I wasn't positive that they were honestly harmless now.

A sigh broke my train of thought, before the voice returned.

"_It's obvious that no matter what I say, you won't see yourself as special. Perhaps your humility is another aspect of your character that sets you apart from other humans? Regardless, there is one final point I have to make regarding why you are so important."_

_What's that?_

There was a pause as the atmosphere between us suddenly turned far more serious.

"_Can you recall the part of our conversation last night where I mentioned you were vital to the future of Freddy Fazbear's?"_

I thought back to the previous night and tried to remember our conversation. It had been brief, but I did remember it mentioning that I was important to the future of the company and its animatronics.

_Yeah..?_

"_Very soon an event will come to pass… One that, without your intervention, will result in the death of more children… Along with the abandonment of the animatronics and closing of the company."_

_W-what!? Without me, more children are going to die and the animatronics will be abandoned? _

This was by far the biggest shock of the night. The very mention of such a thing happening sent my mind into a rush of questions as I tried to wrap my head around the possibility of more death in the restaurant.

"_Yes. You're the only one who can stop this from happening… And if you fail, the greatest instance of innocent death in the history of Freddy Fazbear's will befall the company."_

_B-but why only me? What's going to happen- and how do you even know about this anyway!?_

"_Calm yourself, Dustin." _The voice said in a way similar to scolding. "_I have faith that you will prevent these things from happening, as long as you remain. After all, you're one of the only night guards clever enough to survive five nights, as well as the only night guard to ever escape 'prey' status with the animatronics. If anyone can do it, it's you. As for what's going to take place, I am unable to tell you at the moment. But when the time draws nearer I will explain more to you and instruct you on what you have to do."_

_But why wait? Wouldn't it be better to tell me now and-_

"_You're overstepping your boundaries again." _The voice said in annoyance, "_All of this will come in time, but for now that's all that I can tell you. After all, our time is short."_

_O-oh yeah… I nearly forgot about time. How long have we been here?_

"_A few hours." _Came the reply. "_I'll be departing from you soon to return to the restaurant."_

_B-but wait, I still have more questions! _I thought, trying to get as much information from this encounter as I could. There was no way I was planning to let the voice leave me with even more questions than I had even before this encounter.

"_I figured you might," _The voice said with slight amusement. "_Very well. You may ask me a couple, but after that I really must go." _

_Thank you, I just really need to wrap my head around all of this… _I thought as I tried to come up with the things I most wanted to know. Instantly I thought of plenty to ask, but as time was limited I started with the topics that I was most curious about.

_Ok, so first off… Last night you said something about 'marking' me, then you took off. What was that about?_

"_I was wondering when that was going to come up," _The voice mused. "_But before I can explain it, there's something you have to know about me as a spirit…"_

I politely waited as a pause followed, likely to find the right words for the upcoming explanation.

"_Firstly, as you have likely figured out, I am spiritually tied to Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria." _The voice started, "_To be more specific, I'm bound to the suit that you saw last night. Unfortunately this limits my mobility, though I have in return an approximate understanding of the happenings inside the restaurant, including the animatronics."_

_So wait, you're tied to the Golden Freddy suit? _I asked. _What does that mean? If anything I thought you were the suit itself._

"_In a way, that's true." _The voice said thoughtfully, "_The suit and I are one, though I am trapped within it. It is my body, yet I cannot move. The suit is a physical vessel of my spirit, to which I am bound until certain events take place."_

_Certain… Events?_

"_Yes, but that's irrelevant for now. The point is that my spirit controls the suit, even though it isn't actually __**me**__ as a being. This relationship between the suit's current condition and I greatly handicaps my abilities, and in-turn restricts a lot of what I should be able to do. For example, under normal circumstances I would never be able to communicate with you outside of the building with the way my spirit and the suit are connected now. Luckily there are ways to get around this- such as the mark I gave you last night."_

_Yeah, you keep saying that but… what exactly is it?_

"_The mark is an extremely personal tie between two spirits." _Came the reply, "_Basically, it allows one spirit to create a strong bond with another as a means of connecting with it. Since I've marked your spirit, I am now bonded to your being. I'm always with you, even if I can only physically interact with you inside of the Pizzaria via the suit."_

_So… You're a part of me now? _I pondered, _That must be what I felt after you left last night…_

"_Most likely. The mark is also what allows me to speak with you like this, despite you not being at Freddy's. Even when you're awake we should be able to mentally converse- well, at least we __**will **__be able to as we grow even closer spiritually."_

_Ok, that's pretty freaking cool. _I reflexively thought, _like some sort of telepathy or something._

"_In a way, yes." _The voice said with a giggle, "_Though don't try to hide how you really feel- as we are spiritually connected, I can read into your emotions. You're still unsure about me even after what I told you earlier, correct? You still suspect that I could hurt you, even though I told you I have absolutely no reason to do such a thing?"_

I would have flinched in surprise at how well it read my thoughts- it was true that, while I was becoming more comfortable in the company of this spirit, I was still very confused and worried. All of the new information that I was acquiring was helping to ease my negative emotions in place of awe and surprise, but I still couldn't disguise that I was uncomfortable… After all, I had just started getting to know this killer suit, and yet it was already 'connected' to my spirit and would be following me around everywhere I went. Again, I found myself remembering when I first started working at Freddy's and thinking "I did _not _sign up for this."

"_I can see how all of this would unnerve you… But I suppose as time passes, more of this situation will make sense to you. Maybe then you will grow more comfortable with me?" The voice asked._

I paused.

… _Yeah, probably. Maybe I just need time to digest all of this new information. But before you go, I still have more questions, if you don't mind._

"_Of course. Ask away, though now we may only have time for a few more."_

I momentarily thought of what to ask next, before I got an idea.

_How long have you been 'tied' to the pizzeria? _I asked. A thoughtful hum came in response.

"_For many years… So long now that it almost seems ancient. You see, when I became a spirit tied to the company there were only two animatronics. This was before the Fazbear band existed."_

_Ah, right! I remember Mr. Fazbear telling me about the original two animatronics- they were spring-lock models, right?_

Much to my surprise an aggravated growl followed my words, and I quickly realized that I had struck a negative chord somehow.

"_Don't trust that man- he's a snake in the grass you walk on!" _The voice said in a dangerous and adamant tone- almost like a demand rather than a warning.

_So the Golden Freddy spirit doesn't like Mr. Fazbear much, huh?_ I thought to myself, hoping that I somehow wouldn't be heard. _I wonder what happened to cause that… then again, this voice just confirmed my feeling that he probably hasn't been completely honest with me._

_O-ok, sorry if I somehow upset you. _I said, trying to bring calm back into the conversation. The voice sighed before responding.

"_No, it isn't you. I'll just have you know that the man you speak of is a greedy and cunning human, who has attributed to many negative happenings in the restaurant. Among them was locking Foxy away and claiming she was decommissioned. The result was years of pain and loneliness for her- regardless that she is arguably the most kindhearted of the animatronics."_

_Oh yeah, about Foxy… Why didn't you ever go to see her while she was locked up? I'm sure the company would have really helped her._

The instant reaction to my question was a very somber and regretful atmosphere. As the mood in the very air around me continued to shift with the conversation, I suspected that the spirit's emotions being tied to my own caused this to happen.

"_I wish I could have… In fact, I __**would**__ have if I had been able." _Came the reply, "_But in my current state I'm unable to communicate with the other animatronics. As a matter of fact, they can only see the damaged Fredbear suit when I take to my physical form within the restaurant."_

_That's rough… But what do you mean 'in your current state'?_

"_That is more information that you will be granted in time." _The voice said, returning to its normal tone. "_As for the time being, I can only answer one more question. You will wake up soon, and the sudden disruption in this plane could cause you a lot of pain if I don't leave first." _

_Oh ok- wait, __**what? **__If I suddenly wake up while we're meeting like this, it'll hurt me!? How does that even work!?_

"_Is that the question you want answered, or is there something else?"_

_Oh, yeah_. In the process of learning more about spiritual communications I nearly forgot that I was on a time limit. Knowing that my window of opportunity was closing, I mentally scrambled for a good question to last me until the next time we could talk. After all, the voice mentioned that we might be able to converse mentally even when I was awake, but with the current unfamiliarity I felt toward it I doubted that we currently had the right spiritual connection required for such a thing.

The more I thought about questions to ask, the more that two of them in particular stuck out. They were somewhat trivial, yet I thought they were important to know if I were to have some sort of relationship with this thing- no matter how bizarre and unnatural it was. I fought to decide which I was more curious about, until the voice stopped me.

"_Ah, I see. So you want to know something personal now, rather than technical? In that case, I suppose I could humor you…"_

There was a pause before the voice returned, a warm tone laced in its words as if welcoming me to this new piece of information.

"_To answer your first question, you'd never be able to tell given my current condition. The suit that I inhabit heavily restricts all functions of my spirit- that includes personal attributes about myself. This explains why my voice is so distorted to you when we speak, and why the only way you can see me is through the suit itself. However, my sex is actually female."_

I had a sneaking suspicion throughout our conversation that I was talking to a girl- maybe it was in her verbal mannerisms, or even just because we were spiritually tied that I knew. Regardless, I was happy to have some verification on my hunch. Not that I really had expected spirits to be gender-specific in the first place, but intuition rarely steered me wrong when it came to getting a read on someone's personal aspects.

"_As for your second question…" _The voice continued slowly, "_I don't actually have an answer."_

Now_ this_ actually kind of surprised me.

_Really? You don't have any specific name that you'd like me to call you? _I asked in slight shock. After all, a name is one of the greatest identifying features of someone. I had assumed that the same went for ghosts.

"_No… I've already told you the list of names that other humans have called me. However, as you are the first human that I've had a spiritual connection with, I cannot say that I have ever been given a definitive name for myself." _She answered simply. In a way I felt bad for her- not having a proper name but instead being labeled as 'insanity', or otherwise given more masculine titles.

_Well that won't work, now will it? _I asked rhetorically.

"_Huh? What do you mean?"_

_I have a proposition for you, _I replied. _How would you feel if__** I**__ were to give you a proper name? One more fitting than the terrible things that other humans have called you?_

There was a pause as I assumed she was contemplating my offer. The idea had been so out-of-the blue on my part that she probably hadn't seen it coming- even if we _were_ somehow connected. To be honest, it had even come as a surprise to me. Finally, though, I heard her voice return from the darkness around me.

"_I… I would like that very much." _She answered. There was something about the way she said it… Almost like pride, or assurance in something? Nonetheless I put the thought aside and thought about names.

It took me a minute to think of one, as I was extremely picky in doing so. After all, this wasn't some pet we're talking about- this was an impossibly supernatural, possibly dangerous animatronic bear-ghost that was spiritually connected to my very being. Compare that to naming your aunt's spastic Pomeranian, and suddenly the stakes were much higher. Needless to say, 'Fido' or 'Spoofy' wasn't gonna cut it.

Finally, after compiling everything I knew about her I had an idea. As I didn't know her very well, there were no promises on if she would take to it well or not- but regardless I took the risk.

_How about… Goldie?_ I mentally said.

"…_Goldie?.." _Came her reply, in a low voice that I couldn't really decipher.

_Er- yeah. After all, the color of your suit is golden right? It's a little cliché, I know, but-_

"_I… Love it…" _She said, her voice filled with emotion. "_Goldie… Yes, I think it's perfect."_

Relief flooded over me at hearing the fondness in her voice. As she spoke the atmosphere around me filled with a great sense of joy and belonging, so powerful that I felt as though I could fly somehow.

_Good, I'm glad. _I said with my best attempt at a mental chuckle. _Then it's settled- from now on you'll be 'Goldie'._

"_Thank you, Dustin." _She replied with a joyful giggle. "_It's something that I'll cherish. I won't answer to anything else."_

That was heart-warming to say least. As odd as it was, I was beginning to get more comfortable around her already. Of course my caution with her previous actions was still prominent, but at least now I was beginning to get a small glimpse into who she was- ironic, given that I couldn't actually _see_ her at all.

"_Unfortunately, I must go now." _She suddenly said, pulling me from my thoughts. "_I've stayed longer than I should have- you'll awake any moment now. With that said, I'll be checking on the Pizzeria to see how the animatronics are doing after what happened last night."_

_Hey, good idea. _I thought. _I guess I'll see you later, then-_

A soft giggle suddenly cut me off.

"_Don't you remember what I told you earlier? I'm always going to be with you from now on. We're bound, after all."_

_O-oh, right. Sorry, I guess this is just going to take some getting-used to. _

There was another small giggle, before the atmosphere changed into pure darkness. I paused as I observed that the emotion surrounding me had vanished, and realized that Goldie must have left the plane and returned to the Fredbear suit at the Pizzeria. I had absolutely no idea how she could manage to be there _and _constantly with me at the same time, but I had to shrug it off for now. There were a lot of things about her that I didn't know, much like how I felt about the animatronics back at Freddy's.

For a few moments I simply floated in the darkness around me, unsure about what to do next or how to even leave the plane. However, just as I began to worry I noticed the sound of wind passing over my ears, slowly gaining in volume. By the time that the wind had become deafening, I noticed a spot of light in the distance, racing toward me like lightning until it was a wall of white about to engulf me. I reflexively made to tense in response to the threatening light as it barreled toward me, but just as it made contact with my conscious form something odd had happened.

My head immediately shot up from my pillow as my body jolted in fear. I blinked my eyes twice as I scanned the room around me, my breathing heavy and cold sweat running down my forehead. As I examined the room around me I could confirm that I was definitely in my bed in the apartment. After staying in a sitting-up position for a moment, I let my body flop backwards onto the bed and let out a long exhale.

For a moment I wondered if my entire conversation with Goldie had been nothing but a dream, but I quickly dismissed it. While my dreams were almost always blurry upon recollection, everything that had taken place while I was asleep was crystal-clear and vivid. I could even remember everything she had said, almost word-for-word.

There was just no denying it- as strange and impossible as it seemed, I had definitely spent my sleep talking to a ghost that was inhabiting Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria.

_Talk about taking your work home with you…_

"Still, it would have been nice to know what returning to my body would be like," I muttered between breaths, still recovering from the intensity of leaving Goldie's plane. "Thanks for the heads-up."

Maybe I was just imagining it, but for a moment I could have sworn I heard a distorted female voice giggle at my expense.

* * *

**This chapter turned out similar to "The Past", what with Dustin talking to another character the whole time. However, I did everything in my power to keep this chapter interesting despite there being absolutely nothing happening visually. What with this chapter being auditory, I was forced to focus on dialogue for detail- hope it turned out good for all of you! I promise that the next chapter will have plenty of action, suspense, relationship-building, and a surprise from the confines of my bored mind! Stay tuned! ;]**

**So now I'm getting really excited- not only is the next chapter my all-time highest for writing, but I also expect to have broken the 100,000 word mark by then! Some of you probably won't care much about that, but to me it's a huge deal, so thank you all so much for your support! **

**Speaking of support... wait... what was I gonna say? Oh yeah! I can't forget my awesome supporters, can I? Thanks to **s_nowbeard3, drakenstar78, NETGamer99, Godzilla King of Monsters, rilekkvanderson, Xero LotCN, Swim, Zeil, TheChaoticOne, GoldenSpartan86, ThrashMetalMartin, MattyJones, NatureAce, Rubixcube98, BatzerkerMasterofShadows, Ash LH, killblade373, joshimi, killersqueenalpha, ChapaxD2000, swagerness, _**and **_BlackCatTheGreat _**For your reviews!**

***Regarding the genders of future animatronics*: Not all future genders are confirmed even to myself yet, so you'll have to wait to see for yourself what the genders are for later animatronics ;] HOWEVER, from a shipping standpoint, IF this fic were to obtain harem status then all parings would be FemaleXDustin. Again, none of this is for sure, but please feel free to HYPE IT UP! :D**

****Update. Mangle will be female. No doubt. Absolutely. Well... Maybe. Probably. I mean... Yeah. We'll see XD****

**Please leave me a review if you feel up to it, and I'll be super grateful for your input!**

**With that said, thanks guys!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	20. The Consequence

**Hey guys! I've been hard at work cranking out this chapter for you all, so here ya go-ho-ho!**

**... Sorry. I guess I still don't have the holidays out of my system...**

**Anyway, I have some exciting things to say real quick before the beginning of this chapter. First of all, this has officially become my most followed story ever written, having broken the 200 Follows mark! Thank you all so much for following this story, it seriously means a ton to me! Additionally, This is the first story I've written that has made it to 20 chapters, and 100,000 words. I honestly wouldn't have ever made it this far without all of your support, so I'm very grateful to each and every one of my readers who has made it this far ;]**

**By the way, sorry if this update came a little too late at night/too early in the morning... Night is the only time I really have to write anymore, so most of my updates tend to be at unfortunate times like this haha.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

I found it difficult to fall back asleep after my conversation with Goldie. It was strange, but despite the fact that my conscious state had been awake all night, I felt well-rested and full of energy. Maybe being on Goldie's plane while I was asleep relieved mental stress on my body or something? Whatever the case, I was feeling good despite only sleeping for about six hours after a very long, _very _stressful night.

When I finally decided that sleep was no longer an option, I hopped off of my mattress and crossed to the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead of me. After all, tonight was the night that I tested my relations with Bonnie and Chica. In all honesty I had no real idea what to expect, but there was no harm in making myself look presentable beforehand. As I entered the bathroom the first thing I did was inspect my face in the mirror. All of the bumps, bruises, and scratches that I had acquired throughout the week were slowly fading away, though now I had a new addition in the form of a moderately sized bruise on my forehead. I leaned toward the mirror to get a better look at the dark blotch, before sighing and turning on the sink faucet below me.

_Freddy sure can pack a punch, _I thought as I cupped my hands beneath the stream of water and let it accumulate. _Yet another animatronic that I specifically don't want to piss off._

From there I began rubbing the cool liquid into my face, removing any tire or smudging that remained from last night's episode. Once I was done, I let the water drain and looked back into the mirror. Despite all of the little marks I had acquired since I started working at Freddy's, I still looked the same as I had a week ago. Same bright green irises, same long dark hair partially covering my right eye, same thoughtful expression… And yet I felt like a totally different person. I felt older, more cautious. Additionally, I no longer found comfort and safety in routine. So much of the last week had been improvised to grant my survival… I had been forced to do things that the old me would never consider. But I guess that's what happens when you begin feeling like someone's prey- you adapt.

_Adaptation… I guess I have a lot of that ahead of me. _I thought as I stared into my own reflected eyes. After all, if Bonnie and Chica really _were_ trying to change and become my friends, then I would have to adapt to a relationship that was completely opposite from what we had previously. Also, as far as developments went, Goldie having marked me was a pretty big turn of events in itself. Honestly I surprised myself with how quickly I had come to accept her being connected to me- but it wasn't a bad thing. The strange feeling in my chest from last night had become some alien form of comfort to me after getting to know her better. Maybe that feeling somehow signified the state of our spiritual connection?

"I shouldn't make assumptions about something I know nothing about," I thought aloud, turning from the sink toward my shower to bathe. Once the water was steaming hot and a fresh outfit was laid out, I stripped my sweat-stained clothes from last night before pausing at my socks. The splint that Foxy had given me was amazingly still in place, having kept my ankle secure despite all of the running I had done since I received it. After everything I had been through with that splint it was an absolute miracle that it was still there at all. Nonetheless, my ankle was finally beginning to feel normal again after almost an entire week. I guess I owed that to Foxy as well.

I slowly removed the splint, testing my ankle as I did so to make sure that it was really ok. After a couple of cautious and slightly painful moments I had the splint removed to reveal an abnormally pale, yet otherwise normal ankle.

I sighed in relief at the sight. Although that splint had been a blessing from my friend that had kept me alive to this point, it was absolute torture to walk in. With that said, sprinting away from murderous animatronics had been several times more painful. The fact that my ankle had healed as soon as things were looking up seemed like some sick joke that fate was playing with me.

"Ah well, as long as it's better now…" I thought aloud as I turned for the shower.

After all of the intense stress that I had been through lately, a hot shower was exactly what I needed. I took my precious time before exiting, letting the hot water wash away any fatigue that remained with me. By the time I had stepped out and wrapped a towel around my waste, the room was steamy and humid. I quickly dressed in my usual attire before reaching for the door. However, before I exited the room I turned once more to the sink to see my reflection in the mirror.

Needless to say, the reflective surface was cloudy white with condensation. I wiped a large portion of the center mirror clean, just enough so that I could see myself in the reflection. As per habit I leaned forward to inspect my face, and busied myself for a moment with taming my hair. It was only after a couple of seconds that I noticed something odd in the reflection…

The clear spot in the mirror that I had wiped off was only a little larger than my face. This meant that between my reflection and the foggy ring on the mirror's edges was a sliver of the room behind me. As I was checking my reflection, I just happened to catch sight of something in this sliver of a reflection- a dark area behind me, that wasn't normally there.

I scrunched my face in confusion as I leaned even closer to the mirror, trying to see what it was. My immediate assumption was that it was a shadow of some sort- maybe even my own. But that didn't make sense, as the lighting in the small room tended to throw my shadow the opposite direction.

I slowly raised my hand until my palm was hovering over the glass surface, making to wipe more of the fog away and reveal what the shadow was. For some reason my heartbeat was beginning to pick up, and a great sense of unease and anxious tension rose within me as I began to close the gap between the mirror and my hand. I seriously hoped that it was some odd shadow that I had forgotten about, or some other normal reason for this figure to be behind me... But I suddenly had the unshakable feeling that I wasn't alone in this room somehow.

My hand cautiously resumed its course toward the mirror. In reality it was only seconds that were passing as I reached for the surface, but as the realization that nothing should logically be behind me rose, the moment stretched into a stressful sense of anticipation. I was afraid to see what was behind me… Why was I so scared all of a sudden?

Finally my fingertips met with the cool surface, and I gulped before making my move. In one quick action I flicked my palm across the glass, wiping the condensation clear and revealing the room behind me. I reflexively gasped as the reflection was revealed, but…

… Nothing was there. Not even the dark blotch that I had seen just seconds ago.

I stared at the wall behind me for just a moment in the mirror, before I sighed in relief. Perhaps I was more stressed than I thought, having been so worried over something as ridiculous as a shadow behind me. It was odd though, I could have _sworn _that I had really seen it.

With that mystery out of the way, I turned to my left for the door. Or at least, I tried to.

Because right as I turned my head that way, something large and hard grabbed ahold of my shoulder.

Without even having time to process what had happened and flinch, I was forcefully spun around by the metallic digits that had wrapped around my shoulder. The action was so sudden and powerful that my head spun and my arm tensed in pain. However, what I saw next was what really terrified me.

Staring at me were two bright blue eyes with dangerous lights flashing behind them. Surrounding the eyes was the large brown face of an animatronic bear. It was a face that I instantly recognized, one that I knew far too well.

It belonged to none other than the nightmare that was Freddy Fazbear.

My body recoiled in shock and terror at the sight, before Freddy's bottom jaw fell open and he belted out an ear-piercing screech. The next thing I knew the digits wrapped around my arm released, causing me to stumble backward into the wall beside my sink. The back of my head bounced off of the hard wall as I fell, my hands having instinctively shot over my ears to protect me from the shrill noise.

By the time I hit the ground the technological scream had stopped, and I immediately looked up at the looming figure above me. There, the massive animatronic stood with a horrible grin plastered on his face. It was the same murderous look that I had seen of him last night, and one that I never wanted to see again. The terrible sight caused me to tremble as I scooted away until my back was against the corner I was in.

"N-no, this is impossible! This c-can't be real!" I cried out. It just didn't make any sense- _how was he here!?_ He couldn't have followed me home, right? _Right?_

The bear seemed to be amused by my outburst, as he smiled broadly at me beneath two murderous eyes. I was cornered inside of my own home by the thing that frightened me the most. As the realization that death was inevitable hit me, I shook my head in disbelief and horror. There was no way that this impossible situation could get any worse-

But just like always, I was proven wrong.

Freddy suddenly released his famous baritone laugh, right as two other shapes stepped out from behind him. My eyes widened.

"B-Bonnie… And Chica!?"

I heard my words before I had even thought them, but there was no mistaking it. From Freddy's left came a purple animatronic with bright red eyes under a large pair of cartoonish bunny ears. From his right, a yellow chicken with purple ones.

I had just spoken to these girls the night before, even consoling them as they emotionally broke down. At the time they had been friendly, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Now, however, they were as I knew them the rest of the week- with hatred in their eyes and a demeanor to kill.

The three towering animatronics slowly came toward me, rapidly closing the distance in my small bathroom. As they did so I still shook my head in utter disbelief- how had they all managed to sneak in here without me noticing? Not that it really mattered… The point was, they had _somehow_ managed to do it and now I was going to die at their hands like I was supposed to back at the pizzeria.

By this point Freddy had come within mere feet of me, his arms outstretching and his giant hands reaching my way. Behind him Bonnie and Chica were grinning maliciously, their eyes flashing with anticipation. This was the end- I was trapped.

Finally Freddy came within grabbing distance, his hand making to grab my face. From there he would probably lift me into the air by my head and snap my neck- or maybe they had plans to take turns ripping me to shreds. Either way, the thought made my already hammering heart become even more frantic as sweat ran down my face. I clenched my eyes shut and recoiled as I knew that I would soon feel his robotic grip on my head.

As the very tips of his metallic fingers met my skin, I screamed as loud as I could. It was a roar against this impossible fate that I was faced with, and also a cry of terror and sorrow for the loss of my young life. No, maybe that wasn't it… Maybe it was for Foxy's life, as I imagined her killing herself at the loss of me. If that was the way things were going to end, then perhaps I never should have come to Freddy Fazbear's in the first place. I had been stupid to think I could survive the job, and even more so for believing that I could somehow help the animatronics. A lot of good that did me now…

As these fleeting final thoughts ran through my head, Freddy's fingers slowly ran past my jawline and through my hair. I could sense it- he was about to grab ahold. As his metallic digits continued around my head, one thought surfaced from the rush of terrified segments:

_Goodbye Foxy…_

My entire body tensed for the pressure that was about to surround my head. My hands balled into fists and eyes screwed shut, as my teeth clinched to suppress the sob in my throat. But just then, something odd happened.

Suddenly the fingers stopped, and I felt pressure being relieved from around the sides of my head. It was unexpected, but I still remained tense and anticipant of a killing blow. I remained like that, shaking and anxious for the end, for several more moments…

But nothing happened.

No hand wrapped around my neck, no fist bludgeoned my head- just… _nothing._

My eyes shot open, expecting to see the three animatronics still standing over me- but to my astonishment, nothing was there. Not even a trace of my would-be killers. I cut a look at my bathroom door, only to see that it was still closed like it had been when I first entered. There was absolutely no sign of the animatronics ever being here.

I raised a shaking hand to my shoulder and rubbed it, but the pain from being grabbed and spun around was nonexistent. In fact, the only pain I felt at all was from the back of my head when I stumbled into the wall. Aside from that, it seemed like nothing had just happened.

_Nothing had just happened… _

Was it possible that everything that had taken place was a mere hallucination? Some sort of vivid panic attack? I quickly scanned the small room around me, but there was nothing abnormal or out of place to be seen. No matter how realistic the moment before had been, I was forced to accept that it was nothing more than a breakdown on my part. But what had even triggered it..?

Before I could even ponder the subject a large sob erupted from my throat, and my vision blurred with a fresh set of tears. My body was still shaking from the mortal terror I had just endured, but now it was also hitching with broken breaths as I began to cry. I don't know why I began to fall apart like that- after all, I knew that the threat had been nothing but a mental episode and couldn't actually harm me.

Regardless, I gave into the tears that were beginning to freely flow down my cheeks. It didn't matter that I had made it this far without dying… Likewise, it didn't matter that in reality things were starting to look up for me. The fact was that my first week at Freddy Fazbear's had apparently left a deep mark on my emotional state.

And so there, on my kitchen floor with pointless tears staining my face, I realized that Iwas_ still scared_… It didn't matter if Bonnie and Chica took to liking me, or Freddy and I became cohabitant. Hell, even the fact that I had an actual _ghost_ tied to me wasn't enough assurance.

The fact was, these were still creatures that had all hurt me in one way or another- creatures that, according to scientific logic, shouldn't even exist. And yet, for some reason far beyond my understanding, they were all a part of my life now- and I was a part of theirs.

The images from the previous five nights played through my head as I wept, reminding me of every tense, horrifying and unusual moment that I had endured. There were so many times that I thought I was going to die… So many times that I had to feel excruciating pain in the name of escape. It was no surprise that I had such a terrible panic attack after all I had been through. These were unnatural situations that no human being should be faced with. It was a new kind of fear on a level that was previously unknown to me. And now… all that fear had left a mark on me.

_What are you going to do now? _Came a voice in my head.

"I don't know…" I mumbled back after a rattling breath, "This isn't natural… None of it is. S-so… What _can_ I do?"

_You can run away. _The voice replied. _You can leave it all behind and try to forget that any of this even happened to you._

"But what about Foxy? What about Bonnie and Chica, and even Goldie? She told me that I was important to the future of Freddy Fazbear's, right? I can't just leave them now…"

_You don't know the animatronics' intentions. This might all be a trick to lower your defenses- after all, didn't Bonnie and Chica become a little __**too**__ friendly, a little __**too**__ quickly? That's pretty suspect in itself._

I paused to sniff and wipe the tears from my face. It was true, last night they had turned their personalities a little quicker than what seemed natural… But emotions had been running high at the time, between all of us. In the moment I had even forgiven them for their actions, without much of a deep thought on the subject. Perhaps they were sucked into the heat of the moment too..? And furthermore, what was it that Bonnie had said about Freddy making them kill? The whole situation just seemed like it needed more looking-into.

"That's true…" I finally answered. "but tonight I'll find out for sure. And if things go well, maybe I'll even get some of the other answers I'm looking for."

_That is a big 'what-if' though, _The voice said. _You're saying this, assuming that you'll live through the night._

"I have to at least try… Right?"

Silence met me for a second, before my fear replied.

_Maybe so. But don't forget everything they've done to you so quickly. Even Foxy herself might have ulterior motives in all of this. But there is an even larger question you have to ask yourself before you go._

"Like what..?"

…_Can you handle this job anymore? _The voice asked.

I fell silent. Could I handle working at Freddy's anymore? It was a good point… Of course the rest of the week had tested me by every meaning of the word, but it was just now that my work was beginning to follow me home…

_Can I handle it anymore… Or should I just run away?_ I pondered quietly as my tears began slowing to a stop.

… _Which is the right decision..?_

* * *

After a while I had calmed down from my breakdown and resumed my routine like usual. Of course I felt more paranoid and uneasy now than I ever had within my own home, and with that said I was feeling anxious to get out for a bit. It was tiring to look over my shoulder every time the building made noise around me, and I was restless to get out of my cramped apartment and actually do something productive… _But where should I go?_

As I pondered this, a sudden rumbling in my stomach caught my attention.

"Oh yeah, I haven't eaten…" I sighed, rubbing the area. I thought about taking the money that Mr. Fazbear had given me and splurging at a diner somewhere, but a sudden memory reminded me that I could get all the free food I wanted back at the pizzeria.

I felt somewhat anxious about returning to the restaurant so soon, but to be honest I was also curious about the work being done there. After the damage that both the building and its animatronics had sustained last night, I was sure that Mr. Fazbear had a crew getting everything ready for the next day.

"I bet they're even fixing Bonnie's hand," I thought aloud, imagining the pained expression that the bunny animatronic had shown last night. After seeing her like that, I almost forgot about the killing side of her. That was, until the image in my head of this smiling, soft-spoken bunny changed into that of a black-eyed and murderous robot. The sudden transition of the mental image made me jump in slight surprise, before I shook my head of the thought with a shiver.

And so, despite what happened this morning I let my hunger and curiosity lead me out to my car and then to the Pizzeria. As I pulled up to the building I took note of how barren the parking lot was- there were only three vehicles besides mine with one of them being the construction company's van. This image was a stark contrast to the usual bustle of the lot, which was almost always crowded with minivans and busses, as well as the common truck or car.

With yet another order by my empty stomach to fetch a bite to eat, I stepped out of my car and walked through the chilly air toward the front doors. As soon as I let myself inside I was met by the sound of construction tools, manual and power-driven the same, echoing through the entrance area from around the building. Given that there were only three vehicles outside, I found it interesting that four men dressed in a familiar construction getup were rushing around the large room while conversing with one another, none of them using the tools that I was hearing from further inside the building.

"Man, Mr. Fazbear doesn't play around." I thought aloud as I began to walk forward. Speaking of the large man, I didn't see him anywhere amongst the workers. This was a problem as none of the other Faz-staff would be here today and I _really_ wanted that pizza he had promised me.

As I scanned the area my eyes met the large entrance to the room that housed the show stage, which was unusually quiet for once. My curiosity urged me to go check on the animatronics and see how the repairs were going. My anxiety, however, argued that I should continue my search for Mr. Fazbear elsewhere. Torn, I looked from the entrance to the room and away, before looking back again. Before long I decided that one peek couldn't hurt and made my way toward the large opening.

Before I even reached the doorway I could hear two familiar voices coming from inside, and felt my spirits raise as I identified them as Mr. Fazbear and Fritz. They seemed very preoccupied with conversation, and continued to talk as I entered the room. Once I was inside I immediately caught sight of them right in front of the stage, facing the animatronics. The only other person present was a man in an electrician's getup, who seemed to be finishing up his work as he walked toward me while simultaneously closing up a large metallic toolbox. I smiled and nodded at him as he passed, to which he did the same while swiftly walking past me. Once he was out of the room I paused to look up at the animatronics before going over to the two men up front.

Just as I had figured, Mr. Fazbear had wasted no time in getting the band back in working order. The large gash in Freddy's chest had been completely patched up, leaving him looking good as new. Likewise, Bonnie and Chica's exteriors seemed to be cleaned up and adjusted wherever necessary. I lowered my eyes to Bonnie's hand and found that it had also been repaired and polished, now looking as if nothing had ever happened. That came as quite a relief to me, even if I had told her before that I could fix it on my own.

As I inspected the animatronics in what must have been their idle modes, Chica's eyes suddenly met mine before widening and lighting up with excitement. I gave her a weak smile, but quickly avoided eye contact and made my way toward the older men in front of me. I had a feeling walking into this that the animatronics would notice me, but honestly had no idea how to react- or even how _they_ would react, for that matter. With that said, I felt restless to talk to Mr. Fazbear and leave the room as quickly as possible. As I crossed the room I made sure to keep my face tilted down so that I wouldn't meet one of their glances or draw unnecessary attention to myself.

"Yep, my man says that they should be good to go tomorrow." I heard Fritz say.

"And the odd behavior?" Mr. Fazbear responded.

"According to him, there should have been no reason that they were acting so strangely." Fritz replied, "In fact, he told me that it kind of worried him."

"Well, what did you tell him then?"

"Ah, just the usual 'these things happen sometimes, what's important is that it doesn't happen again' speech."

By this point I was right behind the two, and figured I should make my presence known before they could think I was eavesdropping.

"Hello Mr. Fazbear." I said, stopping behind them. The sudden greeting seemed to catch the men off-guard, but as they turned around both smiled in recognition.

"Ah, look who stopped by!" Mr. Fazbear greeted in his usual hardy way.

"Hello, Dustin. Good to see you again," Fritz also said, nodding at me and holding out his hand to shake.

"Hey Fritz, same here." I answered while returning the gesture.

"May I ask what brings you by again so soon?" Mr. Fazbear asked with a warm smile. "I mean, you're always welcome here but things are just a tad bit hectic right now. I've got Fritz working another one of his miracles, fixing up the building and checking up on the trusty trio here."

"Yeah, they look great." I said, making sure not to actually look up at the animatronics as I spoke. "And I know things are busy, but I was looking for a bite to eat and hoped I could grab some pizza if I stopped by."

Mr. Fazbear chuckled before responding. "Ah, of course! Why, a growing young man like yourself needs his nourishment!"

He nudged my shoulder with his elbow for emphasis, before continuing.

"I'll tell you what- I'll give you a taste of the best pizza we have to offer. Just do me a favor and keep Fritz here company while I'm gone, huh?"

"Oh yeah, sure." I replied with a grateful smile. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't mention it! I'll be right back with your food- by the way, will pepperoni work for you?" He asked.

"Sounds great," I answered. And just like that, Mr. Fazbear was off to who-knows-where making me my pizza.

Suddenly Fritz chuckled from beside me.

"Ah, that man- always so hospitable." He said with a slow shake of his head, "You know, I think he really must like you Dustin."

"Really?" I asked. "Sometimes I think he just acts like that because I've lasted this long."

Fritz's smile vanished as a thoughtful expression came over his face.

"No doubt that's a part of it, but there's a little more than that." He said. "As a matter of fact, he and I were just talking about you."

That was a surprise. "Is that so?"

"Yep, and I think he sees the potential in you to become even more than just a night guard." He answered. "The way you handled the media earlier really impressed him a lot."

I chuffed dismissively. "That wasn't a big deal… Besides, I don't know what else I would be useful for around here other than being a night guard."

Fritz hummed thoughtfully. "I don't know, I think you're being too modest Dustin."

Suddenly he paused and shot a look at the doorway, before leaning in closer to me and continuing in a hushed tone.

"And if I'm being honest, you're quite possibly the greatest watchman that Freddy Fazbear's has ever seen. Out of the people who actually survived working here, very few have lasted as long as you have. Not to mention, those guards were always stationary inside of the office… you, on the other hand, actually go out into the animatronics' turf to last. Of course this occasionally causes some… damages, but maybe those aren't so bad either."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "How can the damages I've caused be good at all?"

"Well, for one thing it's because of those damages that change is returning to Freddy Fazbear's. I'll tell you, I haven't heard from the old man this much in a week since we were actually working together. It's because of you that this building is being updated and checked-up on like it should be… And it doesn't hurt _me_ financially, either."

As he said the last part he chuckled and patted the clipboard that he always had tucked under his arm. I chuckled back but shook my head.

"I don't know man, I- I just don't know…"

"Don't know what?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know if I can take all of this much more…" I said quietly, looking away from him. "I don't know how well you could understand this with your experience, but I've been through _a lot_ since I've started working here and… Well, I think it's catching up with me."

"Hmm… Is that so?" He asked, turning to look up at the stage. I, however, didn't follow his gaze. "I noticed that you haven't been looking at the animatronics much. I suppose I can't blame you though… You've seen a side of them that very few have. It's amazing that something that seems so innocent and childish can be so devastating, right?"

For a moment I was shocked that he used such words right in front of the animatronics, but then remembered that he probably didn't know just _how_ sentient the animatronics are. He might understand that they move about of their own accord at night, but I doubted he had any idea that they were actually _alive_ somehow. It made me wonder how he explained their behavior to himself… Perhaps he dismissed it as a glitch, or had some other working theory to make it all seem possible in his own mind.

I, on the other hand, now knew just how alive they were. And while it made no logical sense, I at least knew that it wasn't due to some technical error that they had these capabilities.

"I know what you mean," I answered in a low voice. There was a pause between us before Fritz finally turned away from the stage to address me once more.

"But you know what? If you don't do it, then someone else will have to. That's another person who will have to feel your pain and fear. You're doing a good job Dustin, just hang in there and see how things go. I know you'll do what's best."

I smiled weakly at him. "Thanks, I'll try."

Fritz smiled back encouragingly, before looking over at the entrance to the room.

"Well, I'm about finished with my work in here, and your pizza should be done right about now. How about we go meet him together?"

"That sounds good," I answered. Fritz nodded at me before heading toward the doorway. I followed for a couple of steps, before pausing. "You know, I'll meet you over there. I just want to stay here for another minute or so."

Fritz hesitated as well, looking a little confused- he probably hadn't expected me wanting to stay in the same room as the animatronics for any longer than I absolutely had to. In a way I felt the same, but for some reason I just wanted another look at them. Maybe it was lasting curiosity, or perhaps I was looking for some sign of what was to come tonight when I confronted them face-to-face, without Foxy there to affect their behavior.

Fritz slowly nodded at me. "Alright, well I'll see you in a minute then."

I nodded back, and watched Fritz exit the room before turning to the show stage. Unsurprisingly all three of the animatronics were watching me carefully. I looked at them each in-turn, before taking a shaky breath and walking closer to the stage.

I stopped a couple of paces from the edge of the platform that they stood on, and put my hands in my pockets as I looked up at them. Above me Freddy was glaring down, his eyes bitter but not flashing like they had been recently. To the left of the bear was Bonnie, who watched me with interest, her bunny ears twitching. That only left Chica, who had her head cocked to the side as she stared at me with energetic eyes.

At first I didn't say anything- I hadn't really planned to be in this situation despite putting myself into it. But after a moment between the four of us with no further movement or development in expression, I decided to leave them with something before going off to meet Mr. Fazbear and Fritz.

"I'm glad they got you guys all fixed-up." I said softly. "It sounds like you'll be performing like usual tomorrow."

Both Bonnie and Chica softly smiled at me as I spoke, though Freddy's eyes narrowed as his frown intensified. Not that I had expected him to be happy to see me, but why did he always have to act like he hated my very existence? Had I really done anything to him to create this level of loathing? Regardless, his stare was beginning to frighten me, so I wrapped up my train of thought in the interest of me leaving soon.

"Anyway… I guess I'll see you all tonight." I said lamely, before turning back to the door. I took a few steps in that direction, before stopping and shooting another look at the band over my shoulder. For a moment the picture of the colorful characters on stage met my eyes, before the image flashed into something far less inviting.

The three of them were suddenly like how I had seen them in my breakdown this morning, with bared teeth and black eyes twisted into a dark grin. Instead this time it was even worse, as dark blood ran down their fur/feathers from their mouths and hands.

I flinched at the sight and felt the color drain from my face as the image returned to normal as quickly as it had changed. Once again they were back to their innocent, colorful selves- except now Bonnie and Chica were looking at me in confusion and slight worry. I figured that the expression on my face reflected the terrible image I had just seen, and that was why the two females looked so concerned- as a matter of fact, even Freddy looked a little surprised by how my face had changed. Regardless I shook my head of the thought and quickly continued on my way out of the room, not looking back again as I left.

As soon as I rounded the corner out of the show room, I let my weight fall against the wall and took several deep breaths as my body shook. That hadn't been as bad as what had happened this morning, but it still achieved a similar result.

_Why is this happening to me all of a sudden? _I thought, slowly lifting myself from the wall. _Am I losing my mind or something?_

For a moment I remembered that question I had asked myself this morning: _"Can I handle this job anymore?"_

It was becoming harder and harder to argue that I _could_, but I also remembered what Fritz had told me. I was probably the best guard this place had seen, and was the cause for a lot of positive change in the restaurant. He had encouraged me to wait a little longer and see if things looked up, but by this point I was becoming seriously worried.

"One more night," I heard myself say quietly, "Then I'll decide if this is where I belong right now."

While I was still regaining my composure from what had just happened a voice suddenly met me from across the room.

"Are you alright Dustin?"

I turned to see Mr. Fazbear and Fritz looking over at me. Apparently Fritz hadn't made it far before the two men met, with Mr. Fazbear probably returning from making my pizza.

"Y-yeah, just a moment." I answered, mentally forcing myself to calm down before walking over to the two.

"You're looking awfully pale all of a sudden," Mr. Fazbear commented with worry in his eyes.

"Did something happen?" Fritz added on.

"No, no I'm ok now." I lied, shaking my head. "It must be the hunger getting to me."

"Luckily I just finished our pizza," Mr. Fazbear said cheerfully, "I figured we could all grab a bite since Fritz and I missed lunch to work- anyway, follow me gentlemen."

While it was true that hunger had nothing to do with what I had seen or how I felt, getting some food _did_ help me to feel a little better. Mr. Fazbear had set up a table for the three of us in one of the party rooms, complete with pizza and drinks. I'll be honest: the food was greasy, salty and half-burnt to a crisp, but that terrible pizza was exactly what I needed in that moment to calm down and clear my head.

As to be expected of conversationalists like Mr. Fazbear and Fritz, the three of us chatted and joked around for a couple of hours, though the time passed by extremely quickly. With everything that had been going on recently I often lost track of time, but by the time that Fritz's construction team reported that everything was ready for the next day, it was already 8 o'clock.

"As always, it was nice seeing you both again," Fritz said as he stood to excuse himself. "And I appreciate the meal- it was just as greasy as always."

Mr. Fazbear chuckled and stood to shake Fritz's hand.

"Don't mention it- I just hope you'll take the price of that pizza off of my bill, huh?"

Fritz laughed and shook his head before turning to me.

"It's been a pleasure Dustin. Hang in there alright? I'm sure things will look up for you soon, but don't let your guard down."

He gave me a wink before shaking my hand as well and turning for the exit. Mr. Fazbear and I saw both him and the construction workers off, and before long it was just the two of us in the building.

"Well then, I'd better be off as well." Mr. Fazbear said with a smile. "Unfortunately I'm going to have to ask you to stay and keep a close eye on the animatronics for me. Of course Fritz says they should be back to normal, but we can never be too careful now can we?"

I nodded. "No problem, sir. I'll see you in the morning."

"I know you will, my boy!" Mr. Fazbear said with a hardy chuckle. "Now don't be _too_ rough on my performers, you hear?"

He laughed once more at his own joke before pulling a key ring off of his belt and turning to the front door. Once he was outside he locked the building up before smiling and waving at me and walking off into the parking lot. After he was gone I turned to the empty building. It was still relatively early so the lights were still on, though I knew that would change in a couple of hours.

"How come places like this are always creepier when they're empty, but the lights are on anyway?" I asked myself under my breath. It was odd, but I felt uneasy about being the only one here right now. At least when the lights were off I felt like I belonged here as a night guard, but in this situation I felt like I was trespassing somehow.

The fact that it was only a little after 8 meant that I still had plenty of time to kill before my talk with Bonnie and Chica. At least I thought so, but after what happened on my fourth night I knew that they could actually become active any time they wanted. Did that mean that they could come to see me at any time? Or would they keep to their habit and wait until it was a little closer to midnight?

Either way, I promised Foxy that I would go to visit her in Pirate Cove before I spoke with the other two female animatronics- and after that I wanted to make sure that I was safely in the office before they came looking for me. That way if I caught wind of danger I had options to defend myself.

_So I'm still on a time limit after all,_ I thought to myself grimly. _Ah well, I guess I should go see Foxy first._

* * *

It took slightly longer than usual to reach the curtains to Pirate Cove, since I had to use an alternate hallway as a means to avoid crossing in front of the Show Stage room. The whole way to Foxy I couldn't help feeling paranoid, or more specifically like someone was always watching me. This was a little concerning until I had the realization that I probably _was_ being watched by Goldie. After that I could only hope that she was looking out for me- but the more I imagined the empty Golden Freddy suit watching me from the shadows, the faster I found myself walking. It didn't matter that Goldie and I seemed to be on good terms, that suit was simply terrifying.

Before I entered the faded purple curtains I paused and thought about Goldie for a moment. Last night she had informed me that we could mentally talk even outside of her conscious plane, but I hadn't really heard from her since our connection there was broken. Did that mean that we couldn't talk whenever we wanted yet, or was she simply choosing not to talk to me yet? I figured that if we _could_ converse at this point, then the Pizzeria would be the most likely place for it to work. After all, being here would mean I was closer to the suit and therefore closer to her soul right?

_I guess I'll figure that out when the time comes… __**If**__ it comes. _I thought to myself.

And with that thought I put the matter aside and pulled the curtains open to enter Pirate Cove. Maybe after the day I'd been having, spending some time with Foxy would be exactly what I needed to clear my mind.

* * *

**This chapter took a bit of work to complete, but I was able to work on it throughout the holidays AND around my own birthday. Regardless, I hope you all had a good new years. HERE'S TO 2016!**

**I want to take a moment here to thank you all so much for all of your support and love. It means a ton, and I look forward to every other follow, favorite, and review that this story receives! **

**So I know some of you might be thinking "Pssh, Starters, are you seriously going to turn to Dustin's emotional trauma to provide horror for this story from now on?" And my answer is this: not at all. Of course now we are starting to deal with the emotional and mental repercussions of what Dustin has been through, but I also have a plan to keep a steady stream of horror feeding into this story. How? Well I guess you'll see- I hope you can bear the romance that intermingles with the story in the meantime!**

***POLL RESULTS TIME!***

**In my last poll I asked you all what part of a FNaF fic you enjoyed the most. The top answer came as a resounding ROMANCE!, with quite a few of you also saying that you enjoy the horror or mystery. However, the back-story seemed to be the least voted for, so I hope you'll all be patient with me as I give exposition into this story as well. **

***NEW POLL UP!***

**A new poll is now posted on my profile, regarding whether or not this fic should obtain "Harem" Status. That is to say, if Dustin should eventually be in a relationship with multiple animatronics. Want to let me know what you think? Check out the poll on my page!**

**Whew, well now it's time to recognize the lovely readers who left me a review last chapter! Thanks to **_MattyJones, NETGamer99, snowbeard3, Franco731, Godzilla King of Monsters, TheChaoticOne, Xerzo LotCN, ThrashMetalMartin, Goldenspartan86, DAUNTEDSUPERIER, joshimi, killersqueenalpha, ChapaxD2000, doomhunter, TitianWaffle, _**and **_shadownamesto _**For your reviews and support!**

**Thanks for reading guys, and please leave me a review if you feel up to it!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	21. The Kiss

**Hey, Starters here with another chapter. Hit quite a bit of writer's block/lack of motivation over this chapter, but I hope you'll enjoy it regardless ;]**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The same as several times before, I slowly reached out and parted the purple curtains in front of me before stepping inside. As always the Cove was pitch-black and quiet- to such a point, in fact, that anyone else would likely assume it was completely void of any form of life.

I, however, knew much better by now.

I took a few steps forward into the dim room, letting my eyes adjust to the gloom as the shadowy forms of storage crates and heaps of junk were slowly revealed to me.

"Foxy? I'm here like I promised," I said after a moment of adjustment, looking around for my friend.

In all honestly I wasn't expecting an answer. After all, Foxy tended to enjoy toying with me before actually showing herself. However, just as I was beginning to sigh in recognition of one of her games, something suddenly wrapped around my chest from behind and pulled me backward. I began to yelp in surprise at the sudden action, but stopped when my back was cushioned by a soft wall of fur, accompanied by something warm nuzzling into the crook of my neck from the right.

I quickly looked over, only to find the head of an animatronic fox resting on my shoulder. I smiled as I studied the familiar face nuzzling against my skin- Foxy's eyes were closed as a shy smile resided on her face beneath a blush that I could see even in the dim conditions surrounding me.

"Well hello to you too," I joked with a chuckle, causing her to giggle quietly as well. "I'm surprised that you didn't mess with me in the dark like you usually do when I stop by. To what do I owe this generous greeting?"

Her golden eyes slowly opened, shining like miniature suns in the dark room around us. For a moment she only lowered her head in her usual reserved manner and hummed, before she quietly responded.

"I guess I'm just happy to see you…" She answered. While she spoke I could feel her nervously fidgeting between her hand and hook, which were still wrapped around me in a one-sided embrace. The movement wasn't really anything too unnatural on its own, as Foxy tended to be pretty shy around me, but something about it was… strange. Almost immediately after I entered the Cove she had pulled me into a hug, and yet she was acting extremely reserved so far- even more so than usual. Was something on her mind?

"Is that so?" I asked, trying to figure out if there was any particular reason that she was acting differently than usual.

"Yes…" She answered while nuzzling back into my neck. I was still convinced that _something_, whether a small detail or major issue, was making her act the slightest bit off. However, if she didn't want to talk about it then I wasn't going to push the matter onto her.

_Besides, this feels kind of good…_ I thought as the warm fur surrounding me lulled me into comfort. _Maybe I was right- being with Foxy for a while might be the perfect thing for me right now._

Flashbacks ran through my head of earlier today, specifically of my episode in the bathroom this morning as well as seeing the animatronics as monsters on stage. Immediately my heart began to race and a sense of anxiety rose from the pit of my stomach, but I quickly pushed the thoughts away and tried to focus on the situation I was currently in.

The fact was that I was far away from all of that now, with my best friend comforting me more than she knew. And while it was true that I didn't know why Foxy was acting this way, I was actually kind of grateful for it. Otherwise I might not have felt the security that I was currently feeling from inside of her arms. I let a small smile return to my face as I leaned back into her, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath as I tried to mentally escape the real world's problems for a while.

It didn't matter how bad things were outside of the cove right now.

Right now, I was safe and comfortable… For what seemed like the first time in forever.

_Thanks Foxy…_ I thought as I snuggled into her red fur. Meanwhile I also lifted my hands up to her arms and pulled them closer. Not that I had any particular reason for doing so- maybe it was my way of physically showing thanks, or enveloping myself further into the motherly warmth and security that she radiated so well.

Either way, as I pulled her arms closer I felt her breath hitch in slight surprise, followed by the heat from her face increasing as I assumed her blush was growing in intensity. I had just started to let myself wonder why she was always blushing around me like this, when she returned my gesture by nuzzling me again and also pulling me a little closer to herself.

By this point I was held tightly against her chest, and noticed my own face was heating up as I felt her breasts press against my back from behind. For a moment I remembered what had happened last night when I accidentally grabbed them… It had probably been the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to me. Surely Foxy felt the same way, and yet here we were, close together as if it had never happened.

Without even meaning to, I found myself thinking about the way that they had felt in my hands and replaying the moment in my head on repeat. That was, until a soft purr in my right ear snapped me out of it. As soon as I realized what I had been thinking about, the heat in my face intensified to a point that must have been previously unknown to mankind, and I began to mentally scold myself for even letting the subject cross my thoughts in the first place.

_What are you doing, thinking about things like that!? _I attacked myself, _This is your best friend- and also an animatronic at a kid's restaurant, for God's sake! Get your head out of the gutter!_

Regardless, despite the truth in these arguments it was extremely difficult to stop thinking about what Foxy was unknowingly pressing against my back.

Finally though, I managed to clear my mind of anything regarding last night and returned to my state of comfort and bliss. By this point the hug had lasted for quite a while, and I couldn't help but wonder why Foxy was letting it last as long as it had. Maybe she somehow knew how stressed and scared I was, and was willingly letting me rest against her… Or perhaps she really _was_ happy enough to see me that a hug this extensive was warranted.

Either way, I definitely wasn't complaining.

"…Dustin?" Foxy suddenly whispered, breaking the wave of silence between us.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Do you… Like this? I-I mean… Do you like being so close to me?"

I meant to pause and analyze why she was asking me this, but before I could do so I heard the answer already coming from my mouth.

"Yeah… it's really nice."

Once again her face heated up against the skin of my neck as she began to fidget bashfully.

"I do too…" She murmured.

Another small silence came between us, before she spoke up again.

"Tonight you're going to go see Bonnie and Chica right? And I can't be there to protect you…"

Her voice was heavy with worry as she said this, and hearing it for myself made my own uncertainties flare up as well. After all… I didn't know what to expect from the other two, and if things went badly between us then Foxy probably wouldn't be there in time to save me from an attack.

"T-that's right…" I answered in a low voice.

I felt Foxy hold me a little tighter, as if to protect me from any sort of harm aimed my way.

"You'll be careful right..? Y-you won't let anything happen to you?" She asked, her voice wavering slightly.

"Of course I will," I answered. "I mean… I can't really promise that nothing is going to happen. But I'm going to try my best to make it through this."

She paused for a moment before she replied to me in a small voice.

"Ok… But if something_ does _happen, please try to buy a little time. Do whatever it takes to last long enough for me to get there."

I slowly turned my head and looked over at Foxy, who was now looking back at me with a mixture of different emotions written on her face: worry, sorrow, determination… and something else…

Something about how she was looking at me was tender, as well as vulnerable. In a way it reminded me of the first time I stared into those golden eyes, but now it had evolved into something else that I didn't really understand.

"O-ok. I'll try my best." I answered earnestly.

She nodded at me, before burying her face back into my neck.

"Good… Because I want to have more moments like this," She started, her voice soft and tentative. "I know that you have to do this without me. You have to find out if Bonnie and Chica are really different now, right?"

"Yeah. That's the only way that things are going to change for the better," I replied.

"… I understand. And I really hope that this means they'll stop hunting you." She said, "But there's something else…"

Something else? What did _that _mean?

I waited for her to finish the statement, but no explanation came. After a moment I decided to prompt her for more information.

"What do you mean 'something else'?" I asked. "Foxy, be honest with me. What's on your mind?"

Instead of answering me, I felt Foxy bury her face further into my neck, as if to avoid saying what she was thinking about. I inwardly sighed and turned to look back out at the cove. Of course I should have expected this type of response from her, being as shy as she is, and even more so given how she had been acting today.

"It's just that… I really don't want to lose you!"

I quickly looked back over at her, surprised at the sudden outburst. Foxy's face was still against my neck, though I could see one of her large golden eyes wet with emotion. Her good hand was also clinging to me even tighter than it had been in a possessive and protective manner. I opened my mouth to respond to her previous statement, but before I could say anything she continued on her own.

"You mean so, so much to me…" She started, sniffing a little. "You were the only human who cared about me. You gave me a reason to live, and you also answered my biggest dream- to have a real friend, who could teach me what friendship actually was. You did that, even though you were also fighting for your life with the others. When everybody else thought I was a monster,_ you _were the one who looked into my eyes and said you wouldn't leave. You picked me up and fixed me, made me laugh and showed me that there really was another side to people. _You _did that, Dustin."

By now I was left slightly speechless. Of course I knew that Foxy cared about me, but as she spoke I could hear the several emotions that were coursing through her- and they were _powerful_. Did I really mean_ that_ much to her?

"Last night, when the others cornered you…" She continued, "I was _so_ scared. I could hear that they had you against the wall in the office, and the thought of losing you was so horrifying for me that time stopped. I hadn't left this room in years, but before I knew it I was running full speed toward you, to protect you from them. When that happened… Something inside of me changed. I was ready to destroy them if it meant keeping you alive. I stared one of my biggest fears straight in the face and won, just because I had you as my drive. Because of you… I'm free again."

When she said that, the situation suddenly clicked. The reason that she had pulled me into this hug only to act so shyly was because of what happened last night. She was holding me so tightly, for so long because she had thought she was going to_ lose_ me. I was the thing that mattered the most to her in this world, and consequently the very thought of me being in danger was enough to get her to fully break out of her shell.

"Do you understand what that means..?" She softly spoke after a short break in dialogue, "N-now do you know how much I care about you? That's why it's so hard to send you back out there, straight into their arms… Because I know you might not make it back. A-and if you don't… I-I'll…"

She let the words hang for a moment, their horrible implications floating freely in the air around me. As she didn't follow up her statement with anything else, I mustered as much courage and assurance into my voice as I could manage and replied.

"Don't worry. I'll make it back."

Foxy slowly lifted her head from my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. I could see that same tender expression in her face from earlier, alongside the fear that she was now showing for my safety.

The look on her face in that moment reiterated how much she really cared about me… I mattered so much to her that she was willing to put her own life on the line to protect me.

_And despite that… I still thought about leaving Freddy Fazbear's…_ I thought angrily, _I was about to leave her just to save myself. Pathetic._

I was disgusted with myself. In my own fear I had almost abandoned her, and the other animatronics as well. After all, Goldie had said that I was also necessary to save them. But I had been a coward- no, even more than that, I had nearly been like all of the other humans that Foxy knew before me. I almost ran away from her.

Realizing this, I forced myself to remember the promise I had made to her: I wasn't going to leave her side, which also meant that I wasn't going to leave Freddy Fazbear's. Even though I was terrified and emotionally scarred, running away couldn't be an option. I wouldn't allow it to be, now that I knew how much was really on the line.

"I really hope that everything will go ok tonight, but I know there's a good chance that it might not…" I continued, "But if that ends up being the case, I promise you that I'll survive. I'll be careful and try not to let my guard down. I've survived for a whole week now with them actively trying to kill me, so one more night can't be too much harder."

I spoke with certainty and valor, but on the inside I was really just hoping that nothing would go wrong between me and the other animatronics. Especially in light of my recent 'episodes'. After I had finished speaking Foxy looked a little more assured, but still showed signs of worry in her eyes.

"Ok… I'll trust you. I know you can do it. I just can't help but worry about you, because I-"

Foxy suddenly stopped, her eyes going wide and mouth shutting as if she were afraid to release the words she had almost said.

"Because you… What?" I pressed.

"I… um, I just…"

She blushed profusely while she fumbled with her words, obviously trying to find a way out of this particular topic. It was amusing to watch an animatronic do this, given that it was such a 'human' response to a social situation. Regardless I was growing curious about what had her acting so nervous about saying this.

"Foxy?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I-It's nothing, I just- I think I might…"

I chuckled and shook my head dismissively, allowing her to stop her explanation.

"It's ok. If you're having trouble saying something to me, then maybe it's just not the right time for it yet." I gave her an encouraging smile as she lowered her head again, her eyes thoughtful and shy. "Just tell me when you're ready alright? Whatever it is, I'm sure I can wait for as long as you need."

Her face was blank with thought for a moment, before she let a weak smile return to her features.

"O-ok… I promise that I'll tell you when it's time, then." She said.

"Sounds good to me," I answered. "Hey, maybe while I'm away tonight you can think about it, and when we see each other next you could tell me?"

"Y-yeah… Just… Remember to keep your promise ok? You have to make it back to me…"

The worry returning to her voice from earlier confirmed my suspicions that she was still very fearful for my safety tonight, even after I had assured her that I would be alright. It upset me to hear such a tone from her, and the vulnerability that it portrayed was a strong contrast to the bravery and command that she had shown in saving me last night. The contrast between her two behaviors only emphasized the motherly way that she treated me- she worried about me when I was away, but when I actually found myself in trouble she had no hesitation in protecting me with her life. I appreciated how much she cared about and looked out for me, but I still didn't want her to worry. After all she had been through she didn't deserve to feel fear anymore. If only I could somehow make her feel better…

_Wait… Maybe I can. _

I remembered something I had done that reassured and comforted her in the past. It was a small gesture, but still better than nothing.

I slowly raised my hand to the top of her head, letting it rest against her soft fur for a moment before I began to run my fingertips toward her right ear. Once there I began to gently scratch and rub the area between her ear and neck, which I knew to be her favorite area for me to pet.

Almost immediately I felt her push against the strokes of my hand, causing my hand to press against her with more pressure than before. I smiled and rubbed the spot in a circular motion, and before long I began to hear the familiar sound of her contented purring.

_Must be working…_ I thought amusedly as a smile crept across her satisfied face.

I was glad to make her feel better, so I continued to do this for several minutes. Finally when she seemed to be completely calm and entranced by my touch, I whispered to her in a gentle voice.

"I have to go soon… I want to make sure that I'm safe in the office before the others come to meet me."

Her smile faltered at hearing my words and her purring halted. I expected her to protest my leaving, but instead she silently raised her good hand and placed it firmly over mine, causing it to remain pressed against her fur. I sighed.

"I had a feeling that you wouldn't want me to stop once I started," I joked.

She giggled softly and rubbed the side of her head against my hand once more before opening her eyes to make contact with my own. They no longer looked as sad as before, but instead looked for the most part thoughtful. This came as a relief to me, and I smiled at her before continuing.

"I know you don't want me to leave, but if I head for the office now then I might beat the others there."

"I guess you're right…" She mused quietly.

I gave her a small smile and gently pulled my hand free from her hold. From there I turned and reluctantly stepped away from her, consequently leaving the comfort and warmth that she exuded so well.

"So this is goodbye, then?" I then heard her say from behind me. Her voice was suddenly very soft and vulnerable, causing me to worry that she might be relapsing back into fear. However, as I turned to look at her there was a very different look on her face than before: now she was blushing, her head tilted down shyly while her eyes stayed trained up at mine.

_That's good, at least she's acting more like normal again… Though she looks even more nervous than usual. Why is that?_

"Yeah, I guess it is." I responded, "But don't worry, I'll be back in no time. After all, I have to hear what you wanted to tell me right?"

I chuckled and took a step toward the curtains, which were directly behind Foxy. Even as I began to leave she didn't answer me, but that was ok. My mission was to assure her of my safety tonight, which I seemed to have done pretty well.

And so I continued to walk, passing the still stationary animatronic before pausing at the curtains.

"Goodbye Foxy. I'll see you in the morning."

I waited for a moment, but still no answer came. I shrugged and reached out for the part in the purple fabric, but just as I began to pull the curtain aside something stopped me-

"W-wait, Dustin?"

"Huh?"

I turned back around to face her, only to find that she was now turned toward me with her eyes trained down at the ground bashfully.

"What's up?" I asked, tilting my head a bit.

The animatronic fox slowly lifted her golden eyes to meet mine, before looking down again and hesitantly walking toward me. I expected her to be coming in for a goodbye hug, and so I spread my arms to receive her embrace. However, as she got closer she showed no signs of returning my gesture.

"Foxy?" I asked as she drew near and stopped right in front of me. There was a moment that followed in which she did absolutely nothing but stand there and avoid eye contact with me- and then she made her move.

It happened in the blink of an eye. One second she was shyly looking down at the ground between us, and the next she did something that I would have never expected.

Using her impressive speed she had quickly closed the distance between the two of us and planted a kiss on my cheek.

For a fleeting moment I remained still with surprise as she did it, her hand caressing the left side of my face while she planted her muzzle against my right cheek. In that moment my senses were heightened, my body automatically assessing the moment through my senses.

I could feel the strangely warm and soft feel of her… lips(?) against my skin, alongside the heat that radiated from her face in light of the action. Her hand was placed gently yet purposefully on the opposite cheek, her metallic fingers running through the boundaries of my long hair as well as trailing along the side of my neck.

In an instant I recognized this as potentially the oddest thing to ever happen to me, but it wasn't… bad. In that moment, as quick as it had been, I felt warm and cared for. It was a feeling that I had either never experienced, or hadn't in far too long.

However, the moment was brief and ended abruptly before I could fully comprehend what was happening.

After a second or so with her lips planted against my skin, Foxy quickly pulled away from me and turned back toward the darkness of the cove. I stared after her as she walked away, her form becoming less and less visible with every quick step that she took. I expected her to continue this way until the vanished from my sight into the dark, but to my surprise she paused and turned to give me one final meaningful look before returning to her course and disappearing.

I, however, remained wide-eyed and still for another moment, before finally catching up with the moment at hand and shaking the thought off. I turned back to the curtains and opened them enough to step through, allowing me back into the still lit hallways of the Pizzeria.

_What… Just happened? _I thought as I let the curtains fall closed behind me. That wasn't like our usual goodbyes… In fact, that was different from any of our previous interactions. Why was she acting so much more… intimate after last night?

I stood and pondered the subject for a moment, the image of Foxy looking back at me one last time running through my mind. By the time that I reminded myself that I needed to get to the office and snapped out of my thoughts, I realized that my face had grown warm and heart was beating unusually quickly. Similar to my face, my chest also maintained the same warm feeling of being cared for from earlier, but I didn't have time to think about all of these things at the moment.

I had to make it to the office so I could prepare for the biggest meeting of my life.

With a deep breath and a shake of my head to temporarily rid myself of the subject, I turned my thoughts to Bonnie and Chica and began to walk through the halls. Before long I caught sight of the large metallic doorframe leading to the room that had kept me alive the previous five nights.

My heart was racing with each step I took closer to the office, my mind filled with images of the monsters that had been after my life since I came here. And yet, I also couldn't help but remember the vulnerable, friendly sides of Bonnie and Chica that had been recently revealed to me.

Which were they, really? For better or worse, I was about to find out.

This was the moment that I had been waiting for, whether out of excitement or horror.

This was the moment that would shape the remainder of my time at Freddy's.

… It was almost time that I finally got some answers.

* * *

*** Oh yeah, I guess I should have mentioned this earlier, but Dustin is NOT me. A few readers seemed to think that Dustin was a written personification of myself, but I assure you that he is just an OC.**

**So this chapter was mostly contributing to the romance of the story, but I hope you enjoyed it as it was :)**

**Thanks to each and every one of you who left me a review- yes, I read them all but am low on time so no name dropping this chapter :/**

**Thanks for reading, and please leave me a review if you feel up to it!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	22. The Submission

**Hey guys, Legend here with chapter 22! **

**Before we start, I want to thank you all again for your continued support. 200+ Follows, Favs, Reviews, and 55,000+ views total is _really_ awesome- there's no way I would be where I am now if not for all of you!**

**With that said, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

It wasn't long before I reached the doorway to the security office and made my way inside. As usual the first thing I did was walk to the desk and pick up the tablet, turning it on to see the time. Immediately the screen lit up to reveal an analog 9:34.

_So it's already been an hour and a half since Mr. Fazbear left, huh? _I thought as I flipped over to the camera hub. _That means that the hall lights won't go down for about another half-hour. _

I knew that the animatronics were somehow able to become mobile any time they wanted, but I also figured that Bonnie and Chica wouldn't come out until the building was dark. Not that I had any real reason to base this assumption on, but it would make sense for them to wait until they were sure Mr. Fazbear had left for the night before coming to see me.

Once the tablet was displaying the camera toggle screen I went about checking each of the feeds to make sure everything was in order. Sure enough, the lights were still on all over the building and the animatronics were still stationary on the show stage. I paused at the feed showing the trio and watched them for a moment in interest.

On stage they looked so harmless, so… _innocent_. Even Freddy didn't look as though he was capable of killing anyone- less so that he had already done it countless times.

But I knew better. They were all guilty of it, and would have done the same to me as well if given the chance.

I shivered and turned off the tablet, placing it on the desk before flopping back into the rolling chair. My anxiety was returning as the seconds ticked toward my meeting with the two female animatronics. Were they monsters, or just misunderstood? Was there really any _good_ reason for someone to kill an innocent person?

I rubbed my eyes as I reflected on the past five nights: each shift was spent running, hiding, and struggling to conserve power in order to see the next morning. Motivating me to do these things were the monsters that threatened me with a horrible and painful death. After going through that, it was hard to see how my relationship with the animatronics could just turn around so suddenly.

What if they had been honest in wanting to forge a friendship with me?

In that case, everything would likely be smooth sailing from here. We could all eat pizza together and sing Kumbaya while frolicking through the restaurant. Well… Maybe not. After all, there's no way I could just forget the trauma and pain that they had put me through. Even if we really _did_ become friends in some strange and ironic way, I feared that the nightmares and flashbacks would still serve as reminders for how things had once been.

And what if they had been lying in order to avoid Foxy, and were now planning on using my trust to catch me off-guard?

Well… If that ended up being the case, then I am the biggest idiot of all time. I would be foolish to trust them so quickly, no matter how convincing they had been about being sorry, and would pay the price for trusting them with my life.

Over the past 24 hours it had been a constant back-and-forth between these scenarios in my head. The indecision and anxiety of it all was worse than any of the feelings I had felt before talking to Bonnie and Chica. Maybe that was because so much was riding on this meeting going well- or even more likely, that the situation entailed me literally handing myself over to them. Whatever their intentions, I was at their mercy by choice.

As I began to tremble with fear and nervous energy, I pondered simply treating this like the other nights and running from them. After all, it was like I had told Foxy- I survived a whole week, so what is another shift? However, I quickly dismissed the idea. Doing that might demolish any of the trust and positivity that I had established with them, and create an irreversible distrust between us.

"Damn it…" I cursed under my breath, shaking my head slowly. I simply _had _to do it, no matter how nervous I was.

And yet, even as I told myself this I found my eyes constantly sliding over to the 'Door' buttons.

_Just try to relax…_ I thought to myself, _Think about something else, something positive._

Try as I might to do just that, I had difficulty bringing myself to think about anything other than the seconds that continued to pass. That being said, I constantly reached over and checked the tablet to ensure that nothing was happening yet. As I continued to check the time my fingernails dug into the armrests of the chair, and my leg nervously bounced while I tried to mentally prepare myself for _whatever_ was going to come.

9:40, 9:42, 9:45…

_They say that the most terrifying and realistic phobia is fear of the unknown…_

9:49, 9:50, 9:52…

_It doesn't get much more 'unknown' than this._

9:53, 9:55, 9:57…

_Well, here we go. Ready or not, here they come._

9:58, 9:59, 10:00-

Suddenly a sound similar to that of a generator dying down came from outside of the office, followed by the hall lights automatically turning off. I quickly looked at each doorway and gulped, my leg bouncing even faster as I knew that time was up. They were probably leaving the stage right now to come and find me. From there it would only be a minute or two before they reached the office.

"G-get a hold of yourself…" I muttered as my trembling increased. Why was I suddenly getting so much more uneasy? For all I knew they were coming to say hello and have a nice conversation. For all I knew, I was in absolutely no danger- and yet my body was telling a different story.

My heart rate was increasing with each second, as well a growing feeling of intense worry and restlessness from the pit of my stomach. Was this my body's response to spending another night in this hellhole, or was there a legitimate reason to be this terrified?

_I'll be fine. They gave me their word._

_They're going to kill me. A snake is still a snake, no matter how innocent it looks._

I pulled the tablet off of the desk and turned it on, flipping to the camera hub and quickly touching the feed label that would show the stage where they had started. The screen immediately showed the camera's view of the large room, especially the stage in the center. Standing on top of the wooden platform was Freddy, who simply stared ahead into the darkness.

Bonnie and Chica, however, were gone.

I gulped again and dragged a shaking finger to the next feed: the entrance area. Right away I saw the two animatronics, who seemed to have just left the show room and were now headed my way. They still looked normal and innocent, smiles on their cartoonish faces as I saw their lips parting in the familiar movements of speech. They were obviously talking with one another, and I watched them until they passed under the camera I was using and therefore out of my sight.

I flipped over to the right hall view and caught sight of the two still walking at a steady, yet casual pace toward me.

_They're coming closer… It won't be long until I see that everything is going to be ok._

…_Or until I end up inside of an animatronic suit._

I shook my head and focused on finding behavioral cues in the animatronics' movements. Still, they looked harmless and calm. The closer they came to the camera the better I got to inspect their robotic faces, not once seeing any sign of hostility in either. Actually, they looked rather cheerful.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath- everything was going to be fine. They were giving me no reason to suspect that they were dangerous.

"It'll be alright…" I murmured as I opened my eyes once more and switched to the next feed. Of course the two were taking the quickest and most direct route to the office, meaning that I could easily predict which feed to see them on next. Sure enough, within a moment the two turned into the hall adjacent to me. From where they were there was only one other feed before they reached my left door.

And yet, despite telling myself that everything was ok, my body was responding to the situation more and more negatively. Why? Was it a natural response to watching them approach my door? Either way, it was increasingly more difficult to keep watching them. I wanted to run, to hide, to be _anywhere_ but here.

I growled in annoyance, raising a hand and smacking myself to regain control.

"Damn it, why can't I calm down?" I thought aloud as I rubbed my eyes then forced myself to resume observing them. "Nothing is going to happen, everything is going to be ok!"

However, right as I said that I was given the answer to my question. It came in the form of an abrupt reminder of why I was so on-edge today. One moment the two animatronics are walking toward me, bright and full of energy, and the next the image flickered into a sinister contradiction.

Brightly colored exteriors became dark and bloodstained. Energetic eyes became black pits with glowing white pupils. Their postures and movements became unnatural and glitchy, while each grinned a murderous bastardization of what a smile should be.

These changes occurred in an instant, and before I could even react the two animatronics' heads snapped toward the camera as if to tell me something:

'_We know you're there… And we're coming for you._'

I yelped and tossed the tablet back on top of the desk. Without even realizing it I had stood up from the chair and begun pacing the room nervously. What I had seen through the camera wasn't the friendly stride of Bonnie and Chica from earlier, but rather a march toward their prey, who had made the fatal mistake of trusting them too soon.

A part of me knew that what I had seen was just another hallucination, a fabrication of my uncertain and fragile mind, and yet another part assured me that there was truth to the image.

_They're coming for you, nothing has changed._ My fear told me with conviction. _You're nothing more than prey- a little game for them to play with._

"N-no, it's not real. It's just like earlier…" I told myself, but I was still becoming rapidly more upset. My pacing was becoming sporadic now, a result of the restlessness that my fearful adrenaline was emitting. "When I look back they'll both be normal again-"

Except when I looked back they _weren't_ back to normal. Quite the opposite, they were closer to the camera now and consequently giving me a better view of their vicious, nightmarish details. As a response I shot another panicked look at the left 'Door' button, but forced myself to stay away from it.

_This is all in your head…_ I told myself, running my fingers through my hair out of stress. _Just wait it out. Just hang in there until they get here, then you'll see there's nothing to worry about._

However, every second that passed made it increasingly more difficult to do just that. My mind was bombarded with terrible images of these monsters that now followed me everywhere. They were in my house, at my work- and now had infiltrated my mind as well. Maybe other times I could dismiss them as a concept produced by my traumatized mind, but in this moment those creatures were very real and creeping ever closer to where I was.

Another look at the tablet revealed that they had now passed the line of sight of the current camera, and were now somewhere on the next feed. The one that was right outside my door, facing a portion of the connecting hallway.

My heart hammered in my ears as I reached out with my fingertip for the last feed between me and them. Sweat had now started to run down my face as my mind was at war with my perspective of reality. My horrified response was no longer based on whether or not the animatronics were harmful to me- instead, it was founded on my fear of them itself.

They_ terrified _me.

I jammed my finger against the next feed, causing the screen to flicker to the image of a familiar portion of the hallway outside of my door. For just a moment the two appeared as they were normally, without the horrifying features that my mind assigned to them. However, my vision blurred as they once again began to change into-

I quickly looked away from the tablet and grabbed at the sides of my head, pulling my hair as I paced and turned like a cornered animal. My eyes must have been bulging in fear as the temptation to slam my left door shut intensified. Still, I forced myself to wait for them… To face the situation knowing that their appearances on the tablet were nothing more than remnants of what I had endured over the past week. I _had_ to overcome this fear.

The fact that these thoughts of reason still existed within me proved that some logical part of myself remained, even as my body and emotions shook in fear of what they thought was real. I had to keep fighting… They were almost here…

_They're coming for you._

_They're going to catch you._

_They're going to kill you._

_You're going to regret this._

_Run while you still have the chance._

As these thoughts ran rampant through my mind I shot a glimpse down at the tablet. They were no longer visible in the feed, meaning that they would be closing in on my door now…

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Footsteps. They were right outside, and coming closer. I snapped my head in the direction of the door, fear constricting my chest as I realized that they were finally here.

Thud, Thud, Thud, Thud.

Closer, closer they came. I was out of time- _They were here!_

I shot a look at the 'Door' button, my right hand balling into a fist. Of course I could wait for them, but what if I was wrong? What if they really were monsters taking advantage of my naivety?

Thud, Thud, THUD, THUD-

They were right outside, now- they were going to get in! Images flashed through my head of the past week, of the immense and indescribable fear that they had caused me. Every dark eye, flashing with hate… Every maw, bearing its fangs… Every chase, every corner, every second of every horrible and seemingly endless night, leading up to this exact moment. The nightmares were here, and I was vulnerable to them-

And that's when fear finally took over.

With a roar I turned and slammed my fist into the 'Door' button, causing the large opening beside me to instantly become blocked off by a giant slab of steel. As the crash from the door's impact with the concrete below echoed throughout the restaurant, I heard a yelp of surprise from the other side of the wall.

Then, through the window two figures appeared from the darkness. The light from inside of the office allowed me to see them well through the thin, yet indestructible glass between us.

On the left was a purple bunny, with bright red eyes and bunny ears slightly lowered in confusion. To the right was a bright yellow chicken, whose head tilted at me inquisitively.

_Bonnie… And Chica…_

They looked friendly… In fact, they looked like the family I knew them as when I was a kid.

But then… They changed.

My vision blurred then flickered, revealing them as dark-bodied monstrosities with sharp teeth and eyes glowing with hate. With a cry of surprise I fell backwards onto the tile below, before climbing back to my feet and backing away from them.

My vision flickered again, now showing them as friendly cartoons with worried expressions on their faces.

"Dustin?" Bonnie asked, placing a hand against the glass. "What are you doing? Why are you locking us out?"

"Mr. Night Guard?" Chica followed up.

Their voices were filled with confusion and concern, both unsure why I was blocking myself off from them. The way that they spoke was sincere enough that for a moment even _I_ wondered why I was doing this.

But then my vision blackened again, before revealing them as the abominations I had seen in the hallways.

When their dangerous and bloodstained mouths opened to speak, words didn't come out. Instead, a series of technological shrieking and snarls met me through the walls, while they each began to desperately claw at the glass separating us.

"_N-no! Go away!_" I screamed, my eyes blurring with tears.

Throughout my outburst I shook my head in disbelief and terror. Unfortunately this response caused them to do just the opposite, as the duo began attacking the window with even more vigor and drive to reach me. The window shuddered and creaked amidst their barrage, threatening to-

A blink and they were back to being Bonnie and Chica, both pounding at the window as they frantically cried out to me.

"_Dustin! Dustin, what's wrong?_" Bonnie cried, her expression now showing immense concern.

"Why are you doing this to us?" Chica also said, her face mirroring Bonnie's.

I clutched at my hair as they spoke, clenching my eyes shut and shaking my head. A sob escaped my throat as I took another step away from them, tears now staining my face. I was so afraid, so upset, so _unsure_...

What was _happening_ to me? Why was _I_, of all people, the one who had to endure all of this pain, fear, and suffering?

"_Leave me ALONE!_" I roared, pulling my hair hard and shaking terribly. "_What the hell do you want with me!?_"

"Dustin, we just-

_**-SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**_

I cried out and held my hands tightly against my ears. That horrible sound brought back so many memories that I never wanted to think through again. And yet, somehow the noise remained at the exact same volume, no matter how much I muffled my hearing.

"_S-STOP! Don't hurt me!_" I yelled out.

Suddenly the scream stopped and was again replaced by the cries and pleas of Bonnie and Chica, as they were now trying to convince me to let them in.

"Dustin, open the door! We're not going to hurt you!" I heard one of them say.

"We promised you that we're done trying to kill people!" The other added.

"_No!_" I yelled, looking them in the eyes through my tears. "_I-I can't-_"

And once more they changed into their nightmarish forms, before abruptly going back. No matter how brief, it was enough to stoke the fire of intense fear inside of me. Once more I quickly looked away from the abominations, my head pounding.

They kept flickering back and forth between reality and my biggest fears. Which was real? Which could hurt me? What could I trust anymore?

In that moment of intense terror and anguish, I had all but decided to run away. To cut them off and treat them as monsters, no matter how much they tried to reason with me. After all, how else could I maintain a single _shred_ of my sanity when faced with such an impossible and deadly circumstance?

But then, right as I was about to cut the already thin ties that I had with these animatronics forever, something stopped me. It started as a burning pain in my head, though this sensation subsided as quickly as it had come. Following the pain came a sound, far away and familiar, from inside of my own mind.

"_Dustin? What are you doing?_" A voice spoke in a shocked and concerned manner. "_Why are you pushing them away?_"

I knew this voice… It took a moment for me to put a finger on it, but while facing the emotional breakdown that I was currently engulfed by the memory slowly returned to me…

It had been last night that I first heard it… Once in this office, and later while I was asleep. Despite the echoing distortion that the voice was muffled by, there was a feminine quality about it… Could it be..?

"G-Goldie?" I asked, fighting to keep my thoughts away from the constant back-and-forth of mechanical screeching and frantic conversation from the window.

"_Dustin, what's wrong? Why are you so upset?_" She asked urgently.

I shot a look back at the window, at the worried faces of the animatronics as well as the murderous grins of their counterparts.

"T-they're changing! I don't know what they are, I don't know what they want- _Why the hell are they trying to kill me_!?" I said, my words panicky in a way similar to my thoughts.

"_You're not making any sense!_" Goldie answered, "_It's only Bonnie and Chica out there, and you have to trust that they aren't here to hurt you! It's like you said to Foxy, if you don't trust them now then things won't change in the future! Don't you want to see all of the pain and death in this company end?_"

"N-no, it's not just them! I see monsters, the same ones that have been following me all day!"

There was a pause between us before Goldie spoke again.

"_Dustin, you have to open the door._" She said firmly.

"_What? _N-no- God, they'll_ kill _me!"

"_No they won't!_" She asserted, "_The monsters that you see aren't Bonnie and Chica, they're just an embodiment of your fear. If you don't tackle that fear right here, right now, then it won't go away! You __**have**__ to let them in to see that they don't want to hurt you!_"

"B-but-"

"_Dustin, please!_"

Even in my current hysterical and broken down state, the way that she said those two words was enough to clear my head for at least a moment. Almost every word Goldie had spoken since last night had been adamant, knowledgeable and self-assured. But those two words were very different from anything she had said before. She sounded so desperate, so… _scared_. In fact, she sounded as though my inability to face my own fear terrified _her _even more than I was at the moment.

…Why did it matter _so_ much to her if I let them in or not?

"_You just __**have**__ to do this…_" She continued after a brief moment, snapping me out of my thoughts. "_If you don't… then nothing will change. Please, Dustin, trust them. Even if you don't know what will happen, even if they look like monsters in your head, you __**have**__ to do this. Please… Open the door._"

I slowly looked back over at the window, the two figures outside still changing into frenzied beasts at random and sporadic intervals. I was still crying while my heart hammered and body shook, but I managed to take a step closer to them. Then another, and another. The closer I got, the more scared I became- but there was also a distant sense of calm somewhere inside me. Maybe that was Goldie's attempt at trying to help me- or perhaps that I myself had realized that this was the only way to achieve an answer for my torment.

As I reached the wall with the window I turned and instead stood right in front of the door. The giant steel barrier was the only thing dividing me from my fate- whether it be life or death. By this point Goldie had gone silent, as I figured she was watching my actions intently to see what I would do. I still didn't understand why this meant so much to her- but then again, a lot of her motives were completely unknown to me.

Regardless, the desperation in her voice paired with the spiritual tie that we now shared were enough to finally break the mold of indecision inside of me. I closed my eyes and took a shaky breath through my mouth, trying to regain control of my body the best I could. Once I had once again opened my eyes, I looked back over at the window.

Bonnie and Chica were gone- undoubtedly behind my door waiting for me to open it.

Maybe it was a false sense of fear I felt, or maybe not. Either way, it was real enough to _me_ that I counted this as what might be the last decision of my life. Was it good or bad for me to be doing this? That was up for debate- but at least I had finally made up my mind. If I was safe, then this would minimize the relationship damage that my doubts had caused. And if I was a dead man walking, then at least I would face my death by choice, with less fear and more conviction then if I had tried avoiding them altogether.

With another deep inhale I lowered my gaze to the door controls and raised my palm over the 'Door' command.

Then I looked back up at the steel in front of me and exhaled, before slamming my palm against the button.

Immediately the door drew open, exposing the two large figures that had been waiting on the other side. As soon as the passage was open they both charged forward with arms extended toward me.

As they came forward I just stood there, arms out in submission for what was to come.

No more being afraid and no more going crazy.

For good or for bad, my fate was now.

* * *

**So in this chapter Dustin was really facing his fear of the animatronics- that is to say, not Bonnie and Chica themselves, but the trauma and terror that they had caused him in the past. I guess you can kinda think of it as his coming to terms with his past, and finally facing his emotional obstacles to move on. I hope I conveyed that concept well enough for it to be clear for you all!**

**Thanks to **_Squadpunk 2.0, MattyJones, Brinyour Melcarth, DnBeanie, ThrashMetalMartin, Mewtwo- TheLoneShadow, _ChapaxD2000, A Random Fan_, FyreDrakon,_ **and**_ Crimson of the Mandalorians _**For your reviews last chapter! They mean a ton!**

**Got input? Lemme know what you thought about this chapter in a review if you feel up to it!**

**As always, thanks for reading!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	23. The Understanding

**Hey guys! Wow, it has been a looong time since I've updated this story... I'm really sorry about that. A lot of you seemed to worry that I was discontinuing this story, but I promise that is not the case! I still have high hopes for FNAF: Another Side and wouldn't dream of abandoning it as it stands now.**

**However, just in case you ever worry again that I've discontinued a story, feel free to visit my Profile Page and take a look at my NEWS portion at the top. There you can see what fics I'm working on currently, which ones are on break, which ones I've canceled, and even stories that aren't uploaded yet! Problem solved!**

**Last thing, I want to think you guys once again for your support and patience with this story. I've been insanely busy as of late but a lot of you seem to understand that. It means the world to me that you're all so awesome about it.**

**Anyhoo, onto the story!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

From where I was standing in relation to the doorway it would be less than seconds before Bonnie and Chica reached me. And yet, despite this fact, the moment passed in an excruciatingly slow manner. I stood before the door with my arms out in utter submission for whatever was to come, be it my death or otherwise. I didn't want to die. In fact I still fought back the primal desire to run from this entire situation, but no matter how badly my instincts were screaming at me to leave I knew I had to endure this.

After all, nothing around here would ever change otherwise. The animatronics would never trust a human if no human would trust them. And seeing how far Foxy had come since I met her just a week ago, there was no doubting the power of support and encouragement.

Even if it was coming from just one person.

As the tense moment stretched at an almost unbearably slow pace it was easy to see the two shadowy forms charge at me from the other side of the door. They were close enough now that, even if I gave into instinct and turned to run, they would catch me before I was even turned around. Yes, by this point my decision was made and the consequences, good or bad, were coming for me at a barreling run. In all honesty I still didn't regret not running- of course I was scared beyond belief, a shaking shell of the confident person I would like to be in the face of a situation like this. It just couldn't be helped though. In contrast to the slow ticking of time my heart hammered like a jackhammer, causing my tense body to tremble like a frail leaf in a terrible storm.

Suddenly the moment caught up to me, right as the two large figures closed the distance between me and the door. I braced for impact, shutting my eyes tight and clenching my teeth in anticipation of the unavoidable blow. As if on cue, two forces suddenly collided with my body, causing me to stumble backward a few steps as their arms quickly wrapped around me.

_Well, this is it…_ I thought grimly.

As I caught my balance and stopped moving backwards as a result of their stampede all sorts of worst-case scenarios were running through my head. Death by brutality, death by strangulation, death by dismemberment, and the most terrifying of all: death by empty animatronic suit. Among these horrific and painful possibilities there was only a small flicker of hope that they had truly come with good intentions.

However, the moment stretched on without any sort of attack. Despite the aggressive way they had approached me there was no follow-up. I was captured, and yet all I could feel was their arms pulling me into their hold. It was difficult to fathom that they would wait this long to act violently, and so I allowed my eyes to open slowly in order to assess the situation.

Looking down I could see Chica's head resting against my chest with a worried expression beneath her closed eyes. Accompanying this look was not a forceful hold, but rather a caring embrace as one feathered arm rested up against my abdomen while her other was wrapped around my back.

Turning my head to the right I could see Bonnie's purple head resting on my shoulder, lowered so that her face was aimed down while her eyes were shut as well. Similar to Chica her arms were wrapped around my arm in a delicate manner, far different from the way I had imagined it.

Seeing their collectively worried expressions in addition to the way they were holding me left no doubt in my mind.

They had _honestly _come here as a friendly gesture.

It made no sense otherwise for them to act this way. I was alone and vulnerable when they entered the office- so much so that they could have easily captured and/or killed me with complete ease. And yet they entered this office in such a rush not because of _bloodlust_, but out of _worry _for my condition.

That realization caused many feelings to wash over me as I stared down at them in surprise and awe. At the forefront of this emotional tidal wave was relief, seeing as I truly wasn't going to die tonight. Putting all of those worries aside, I was also extremely confused. If this was real… If this was how they were really going to start acting toward me, then what caused their sudden change in attitude? Last night they had done a collective 180 in going from full-on killers to gentle friends in just moments. Something still wasn't adding up…

My mind grew so confused about the situation that I had zoned out for a moment, until a soft voice roused me from my thoughts.

"W-we're sorry if we worried you…"

I traced the voice back to Bonnie, who had moved her head so that she was looking right at me, her bright red eyes now piercing into my own from just inches away. For some reason this only doubled my confusion. She was apologizing for scaring me, when all she had done was approach the office while I was in it? There was no doubt that their transformations had been sudden, but this line still came as a complete surprise given the nature of our interactions the previous five nights.

"Yeah, we really didn't know that you would freak out like that." Chica continued from my left. Looking her way I could see that she too had lifted her face to look at me, her purple eyes fixed on mine while her head continued to rest against my chest. After she received nothing but a moment of shocked silence in response, the chicken animatronic hummed hollowly to herself and lowered her face again.

"You're still scared of us… Aren't you?" She suddenly asked, in a tone far more serious and thoughtful than I had come to know of her. "Your heart is hammering… I guess you really don't trust us yet, huh?"

"T-that's not…" I began to answer, but before I could finish my sentence she shook her head.

"Don't lie to us." Chica said, her eyebrows slightly furrowed in denial. "If you really meant what you said last night then you wouldn't have locked us out again."

Of course I knew that she was referring to my 'let's start fresh' approach last night. At the time, caught up in the wonder and disbelief of having a friendly conversation with the two, I had truly meant everything that I said. It was the mental breakdowns and doubt that had attacked me ever since that caused me to revert back to my cautious ways.

None of that could be helped now. I knew that, and yet I felt like the scum of the Earth at hearing the disappointed tone in her voice. They had honestly come to see a new friend, someone who had forgiven and accepted them despite everything they had done, and what did I do in return? I slammed a door in their faces. The same door that had been used against them for God knows how long.

"Chica, maybe you should be easier on him…" Bonnie murmured from my shoulder, "After all, it's not like we don't deserve this. We've been hunting him all week, so it's only natural that he-"

"Yeah, I know." Chica answered flatly. "It's just… I thought he was being honest when he said he forgave us last night. But now… I don't know."

"W-wait, I did forgive you two!" I instinctively stuttered, looking from one to the other. "I mean… I swear I did. I'll admit it wasn't easy, but I seriously _do_ want to give you both a second chance. I just… Didn't know if you were being honest about changing or not…"

"Why would you think that?" Bonnie asked with a tilted head.

I looked from one pair of intent, colorful eyes to the other and sighed before gently pulling myself away from their holds. After backing up a step I looked at the two female animatronics standing in front of me.

_I guess now that I know they don't mean harm it wouldn't hurt to ask…_ I thought to myself before taking a breath.

"Last night… I don't know, everything was just so sudden…" I started, rubbing the back of my head while I avoided their collective gazes. "A part of me knew that you were being honest, at least to some degree. But after a week of being hunted by you two I honestly had no idea what to think. One minute you both acted like you wanted me dead and the next you were treating me like your best friend. It was just… unnaturally fast."

I had expected one of them to say something, but after a minute of ringing silence I looked back up at Bonnie and Chica. To the right Bonnie was staring at me with a somber expression, while Chica was beside her staring at the ground with her eyebrows furrowed in that same look of frustration and denial that I saw earlier.

I worried that perhaps I was too honest and tried to think of something else to say, but before I could lessen the sudden tension in the room Bonnie spoke up.

"You know… This isn't easy for us either." She said softly, though it confused me.

'_Easy for us either'? What does that mean? _I thought, but was answered almost immediately.

"Our past experiences with humans aren't good…" She continued, looking from my face to Chica and back. "Our entire lives have been a mixture of being used, betrayed, forgotten, and toyed with. We've been stripped of our freedom to such a point that we feel like trained rats. But we can't do anything about it without being locked away or disassembled."

"This might be hard for you to believe, Mr. Night Guard," Chica continued as she finally lifted her eyes to meet mine, "but just as much as night guards don't trust us... we don't trust them. For a really long time children have been the only humans that we like, and for a good reason. If you understood some of the things that humans have done to us, then you would get that trying to befriend you isn't completely easy on our end either."

As we reached a pause in the conversation and Chica's words hung in the air I quietly assessed what they were telling me. Was it insensitive for me not to put myself in their shoes before now? According to them they had been through quite a lot when dealing with humans in the past, and so it was natural that they had trouble trusting people. But honestly that just made me more confused as to why they chose to trust _me_ of all people, and did so in mere moments.

I was determined to find out the answer, but first wanted to get more insight on exactly where they were coming from.

"You say that you haven't trusted night guards in a really long time, but… at the same time you've been hunting them right?" I asked, and was met by a nod from Bonnie.

I hummed quietly as I thought about how to word myself. I really needed to know something, but worried that if I approached it the wrong way then I could upset them.

"Then please, could you answer something for me?" I started, looking both of them in the eyes earnestly. "Can you tell me… why have you been killing people? I know that last night you said something about Freddy talking you into it, but I want to know more so that I can understand where you're coming from."

Bonnie and Chica exchanged looks for a minute, before nodding at each other and turning back to me.

"We'll tell you that…" Bonnie started.

"If you answer a question for us too." Chica finished.

I only had to think about this for a moment before I nodded in agreement to their terms. The two animatronics exchanged glances once more before they began their explanation.

"A long, long time ago we didn't kill people at all. Back then we only performed at shows during the day, then powered down at night." Bonnie began. "As far as we can remember we had no free will, and no need to do anything other than what we were programmed for."

"That was, until we woke up." Chica continued, as if it was a simple fact.

I, however, was immediately lost.

"Woke… up?" I asked.

"Yep," She answered while crossing her arms. "We've all talked about it a lot, and the details are really fuzzy, but… one night, we just sort of gained control."

"How can that happen?" I thought aloud, trying to assign logic to this seemingly impossible event. Bonnie shrugged.

"All we can remember is suddenly standing on the stage with Freddy and being able to move at will. He was the first to wake, then me, and then Chica. Later on Foxy came out of Pirate's Cove in the same condition as us."

I hummed and scratched my chin thoughtfully. "You really can't remember any other details?"

"Well, Freddy remembers a little more than we do." Chica said, "But that's still not much. Whenever we would bring it up he would always just talk about a face watching him."

I don't know what it was about that sentence, but suddenly the story took an abrupt turn from interesting to creepy.

"A face? So someone was there when you guys 'woke up'?" I asked in slight disbelief.

"We don't know for sure," Bonnie admitted, "all we know is that Freddy swears there was a face there, and that somehow it communicated with him. But that's all he remembers… and the rest of the night is a little fuzzy for all of us."

"That's interesting…" I muttered aloud, still trying to make the pieces fit. "But it still doesn't explain how you all decided to start killing."

"We're getting there." Chica continued, "The next day we went about routine as usual, entertaining the kids like we always did. But now something was different from before… We could move outside of our programming if we wanted to, and could remember the things that happened the night before. That's when we realized that we had changed, and were somehow more like the humans than simply robots."

"And that's when it all started…" Bonnie said, her voice becoming tense. "When it became nighttime and everyone left we noticed a man walk into the building. He stared at us for a while before walking away, muttering to himself. For some reason we all _really_ hated him… and yet we couldn't remember why we felt that way."

"When it struck midnight we were able to move again for some reason. That's when Freddy turned to us and said that we had to catch that guy." Chica said, her purple eyes going out of focus as she recalled the memory. "We agreed and all went after him. Later we found him in a small office and surrounded him…"

She paused before saying more, but I felt like I already knew where this was going. I gulped.

"You… killed him, didn't you?" I asked.

"…Yes." Bonnie answered, avoiding eye contact with me. "The memory is kind of fuzzy now, but we all just attacked at once. When he had stopped moving Freddy grabbed his body and dragged him behind the stage, where he stuffed the man into a spare animatronic exoskeleton."

I had become so engrossed in listening to their story that I failed to notice my body start trembling at the mention of getting stuffed into a robotic suit. That was, until Chica suddenly tilted her head at me.

"Hey… Are you okay?" She asked, "You're shaking."

Bonnie gasped when she noticed my condition as well, but I shook my head.

"It's fine, I just… Need to sit down."

The rabbit animatronic started for the rolling chair but I stopped her and pulled it over myself before flopping down. I felt so dizzy all of a sudden… Maybe I had underestimated how hearing about such a violent and relevant event from the source itself would affect me.

"You look really pale Dustin…" Bonnie worried aloud as she stepped closer to me, "Should we stop here for now? I don't think it's a good idea to-"

"No, no. Please, continue." I said, shaking my head. "I'm fine, really."

Bonnie hesitated only for a moment before continuing.

"Okay… If you're certain…" She tentatively began, "We didn't know why Freddy stuffed him into the suit, but for some reason he was really upset. We asked him about it and he just kept saying that it wasn't the 'right guy'."

"Huh… so he had a specific victim in mind?" I asked.

"Yes, we all did." Bonnie answered. "We just couldn't remember exactly who he was. We figured that maybe the security guard was similar to him somehow."

"That's odd… Also, why would Freddy immediately go to stuff the guy in a suit rather than just leaving him in the office? That's a weirdly specific thing to do." I pondered.

"We thought that too." Chica piped in. "But later on Freddy told us that it's what the face told him to do. You know, the face from the night we woke up."

Again, shivers went up my spine. There was just something so sinister and obscure about it.

_Not only was it there when they woke up in the middle of the night, but it told Freddy to do something like that…_ I thought to myself grimly. _I need to know what that thing is and how it ties into all of this, but Bonnie and Chica don't seem to know much about it._

The obvious solution seemed to be that I ask Freddy about it myself, but that somehow wasn't an appealing option for me. Not only did the bear seem to have a grudge against my very existence, but the chances of him answering my questions seemed slim-to-none.

"Anyway, the next morning the guard was found in the suit much to the surprise and horror of the manager and staff. They likely would have told the authorities about the body had a famous customer not rented out the store for that day. With so much money and publicity on the line, the respective owner of the restaurant arranged for the body to be discretely hidden. He even went as far as to bribe the staff not to talk about it." Bonnie continued.

"For some reason that made Freddy _really_ angry…" Chica thought aloud, "But at the same time we were also glad that no one found out about how the guard died."

Bonnie nodded. "The next night a new night guard came in, hired on short notice. And just like before, we all couldn't help but hate the man that walked in despite not knowing why we didn't like him. Once again we cornered and killed him, only to immediately realize that he wasn't the man we wanted to kill. Freddy stuffed him into the suit again and the routine repeated itself."

"So is that why you tried killing every new night guard? Because every one of them reminds you of this mystery person you want to murder?" I asked.

"Not exactly…" Bonnie answered. "See, for a while it was like that- maybe about a week. But before long we realized that none of the men we were killing were the one we wanted."

"So why then-"

"Because it became our routine." Chica answered simply. "Each night a new guard came in and we killed them thinking that they were the guy. By the time that we realized the new guards probably weren't him, we kept hunting them as if they were anyway."

"Really? _That's_ why you killed people all this time?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well, no. Not entirely." Bonnie said with another glance at Chica. "Once we realized that the men we were killing weren't bad, Chica, Foxy and I hesitated to do it anymore. Freddy, on the other hand, was adamant that we kept going. For some reason he accused them of being weak and failing to do their jobs. He reasoned that if we could catch the guard by the end of the night then they were unable to stop anything bad from happening and therefore deserved to die. After a while it felt like somewhat of a sick game. Some part of us knew it was wrong, but we played it all the same."

"And that's when they added the security doors." Chica added. "From there some guards would last longer than others- and some of them would even come back multiple nights. Freddy told us that the man we wanted to catch was probably really good at surviving, so the longer someone stayed with us the more likely they were the bad man."

"Huh… So is that why Freddy doesn't become active until later in the week?" I asked, connecting the dots.

"Yes. He got tired of hunting every night so he would send us out at the beginning of a new guard's week, and if we hadn't captured them within a couple of days then Freddy would get involved. By that point he only killed for two reasons: to catch the man we all hated, or to kill the inadequate guards that made it that far."

Now everything about the last week made sense, from Freddy's involvement to why the animatronics became more difficult to avoid as the week progressed. The longer the guard survived, the more likely that he was this mystery man that they all wanted killed, and therefore they would work harder to corner him.

But with those few answered questions left several more unanswered. Like what exactly was this 'face' they kept talking about, and why did it want Freddy to kill all of the night guards and stuff them into suits? Also, I just had to know who the man was that they all wanted dead so badly. It seemed to me, upon simple reasoning, that this man was their target for a specific reason. Maybe the face had something against him? Could it be that a person _somehow_ programmed these animatronics to kill a specific enemy? No… It would be impossible to just give robotic animals life. But how else could any of this be possible?

"Well… That's it. That's how we started killing people." Bonnie concluded, tilting her head at me. "Do you have any questions?"

A part of me almost wanted to laugh at how crazy that sounded coming from her mouth. She asked me for questions as if she were a teacher who had just concluded a lecture on the Civil War or something. Then again, now that the two had put killing behind them it was probably easier for them to separate themselves from the abominations that were their past actions.

"Yeah, just one… why did all of the killing stop with me?" I asked looking from one animatronic to the other. "What's so special about _me_ that would get you to finally stop murdering night guards? I just can't wrap my head around it…"

Bonnie and Chica looked at each other for a moment, then suddenly burst into a round of giggling. While the two female animatronics exchanged knowing glances and giggled some more I couldn't help but feel lost. I had no idea what was so funny about an absolutely serious question.

"Am I missing something here?" I asked, causing them to stop laughing and face me with smiling faces. At least the tension in the room had been broken, but I was still unsure as to why.

"When you got here we honestly didn't expect much of you." Bonnie admitted with a slightly apologetic look. The first night when I tried coming in through your right door you scared really easily. I can still remember the scream you made when I ran at you-"

"-Yeah, me too!" Chica exclaimed with another laugh, "And I was all the way down the other hall. I thought that for once we had a female night guard or something."

I felt my face began to heat up in memory of that night. Back then I hadn't known the animatronics were sentient, so a little scream didn't really matter. Now though, in the face of two giggling female animatronics, I would give anything to take it back.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, you two." I said in an unamused tone. "I'd like to see how you would have reacted in my shoes. After a two hour long phone call about moving animatronics trying to stuff me into a robotic suit, of course I was on edge! Can you blame me?"

"I guess not," Bonnie said as she wiped a tear away from her eye. "But regardless of how funny your reaction was, you actually managed to make it through the night- and then you _actually_ returned for the next shift."

"Ooh, I remember that night!" Chica said excitedly, this conversation seeming to have brought back her talkative and energetic nature. "I waited until midnight to come find you, and made my way to the office right away since I didn't really go near it the first night. But when I got there the doors were open and you weren't even there yet! I can count the number of times a guard has been late to the office on one wing, and none of them had survived long enough to make it back before the night was through. I was curious so I went inside, and after a few minutes heard something out the left door. I peeked around the corner and saw you running right toward me, and when you saw me, your face! Your face was so funny!"

Her story was interrupted by yet another laugh at my expense, before she managed to continue.

"Your eyes were so wide when I turned the corner that I thought they were gonna pop out of your head! Of course with how fast you were running toward me I was gonna make them do that anyway, but to my surprise you actually managed to stop and run the other way before I could grab you. It was my first time really having to chase someone, and I really didn't think you were gonna be that fast- but you stayed ahead of me until the very end. I was impressed!"

"That night you were the first guard to ever escape through the vents," Bonnie stated with a small smile at the memory. "After so many years of cornering people in the office it was actually kind of fun for things to switch up like that. Even though you had also managed to damage my hand, I remember thinking that you were interesting for a human."

"Really?" I asked, surprised to hear about such terrifying events in such a positive tone.

"Yep!" Chica chirped, "Of course we still wanted to kill you, but you made things more fun. If anything it made us want to catch you even more!"

"Really," I deadpanned.

"Yep!" Chica repeated in her carefree way. "Especially Freddy. After we told him about you running and climbing into the vents and hurting Bonnie's hand, he got reeeaaally angry- we thought he was gonna get you the next night for sure!"

"We especially thought you couldn't get away after I hurt your ankle," Bonnie added with another apologetic look. "What with Freddy being as fast as he is we just knew that you didn't stand a chance… But you somehow did it. When Freddy came back the next morning he was practically fuming. He wouldn't even talk about it with us, so we knew it must have been bad."

"We all knew you weren't the bad guy from when we first started killing because you're so young, but Freddy wanted us to act like you were anyway because he wanted you dead so bad." Chica thought aloud with a giggle, "But by that point Bonnie and I were really just super excited to see what you were gonna do next."

"Oh yeah, wasn't that the first night after the office was upgraded?" I said as I thought back to my fourth night at Freddy's.

"Yes, and all three of us were genuinely surprised." Bonnie answered. "Upgrades to the office hadn't been made since the original building was re-opened in the nineties. Walking up to the office just to find out that it had been completely remodeled overnight was a huge shock for us."

"That was also the first night that we got a good look at you!" Chica chirped.

"But what about when I walked up to you guys on the morning after my second night?" I asked.

"Well we got to see you then too, but honestly you weren't looking too good." Bonnie admitted while avoiding my gaze. "You looked so tired and pale… We could tell that the night had taken its toll on you, so through the windows on the fourth night was really the first time that we saw what you looked like normally."

"Ohh yeah! I remember talking to Bon afterwards about how much of a hottie you were~," Chica said, looking me up and down with approving eyes.

Just like last night I felt my face grow hot in the form of a heavy blush, though Bonnie was already a step ahead of me.

"Chica! Don't say things like that!" Bonnie reflexively scolded. Chica looked back at her friend with a mischievous smile before responding.

"Aw c'mon Bon-Bon, don't act so innocent. You wouldn't shut up about how cute he was, remember?"

_And blushing intensifies. _

"I-I never said that! You take it back right now!" Bonnie demanded as her ears lowered.

Chica only laughed before winking at her.

"You can deny it, but you had absolutely no problem dancing for him through the window~,"

_Blushing has reached maximum capacity. This is a code-red. I repeat, a code-red._

The next few moments were complete chaos as Bonnie reached her limit. Without warning the purple bunny tackled Chica to the ground and attempted to cover her beak to prevent further damage. A wrestling match between the two quickly ensued, while I just watched in a stunned awe.

"That was just a plan to get him out of the office and you know it!" Bonnie shouted while pinning Chica down. The chicken only laughed before freeing her feathered wrists from Bonnie's grasp and flipping them around so that she was on top.

"Uh-huh, and blue pigs are gonna fly from my tail feathers!"

Bonnie growled and flipped the match over once more, but Chica had a verbal counter to this tactic.

"Hey Bon, if you want to deny it so badly then why don't you just go back to the stage and leave him with me? I'll be happy to dance for him some more… alone~!"

"W-what!? Chica, you can't do that! Bird-brain!"

"Oh yeah? Who's gonna stop me? Fluff-butt!"

"I am, _bird-brain_!"

"_Fluff-butt_!"

"BIRD-BRAIN!"

"FLUFF-BUTT!"

"BIRD-"

"Uh… Hey guys?" I asked, convinced that without intervention this cycle would continue all night.

"_WHAT!?_" They both snapped, stopping in mid-wrestle and turning to face me with red faces.

"I really hate to interrupt this, but can we continue our conversation? I still want to know why you guys decided to become friendly toward me last night."

"Oh yeah!" Chica exclaimed while throwing Bonnie off of her. The rabbit animatronic landed with a thud beside her friend and issued a small 'owwww…' before the two stood up to face me again and continued their explanation as if nothing had just happened.

"By the fifth night we were all amazed by you- even Freddy, though he won't admit it." Bonnie said. "You were unique from the other guards and we never knew what to expect with you around. With that said, we still had to kill you- hardly anyone has ever made it to the fifth night, so it was kind of like our final stand."

"Freddy told us to go all-out, so we did." Chica continued. "We tried everything we knew, and decided to kill you at any cost despite how fun you were."

"Finally Freddy caught you in the office, just like he said was going to happen, and we took to our positions blocking the doorways. He had it all planned out." Bonnie explained. "We finally had you… And even though Chica and I had come to find you interesting, we were absolutely ready to suit you."

"… But then, something crazy happened." Chica recalled with a glint of doubt still in her eyes. "As soon as I heard those footsteps I knew who it was, but I just couldn't believe it."

"Foxy tore down the hallway faster than she ever had before, and struck Freddy to his knees- all while getting into position to protect you in one swift movement." Bonnie shook her head in disbelief. "And somehow, despite being put away for so long, she looked better than ever. Here she was, this long-lost friend who we hadn't seen in ages, and what was she there to do? Protect the _night guard_ of all people, with her own life if need be."

"There was this crazy look in her eyes- one we had never seen before." Chica added with a shiver. "She was feral. If any of us did anything to hurt you, she was going to kill us all. Even if it was three against one, she didn't care. And the craziest part is, she had _Freddy_ scared."

I thought back to last night when she saved me. Even from my position behind her I could tell that she was acting completely differently than usual. The way her hair stood on end like needles… her posture with her hook held threateningly in the air… even her voice, which was nothing short of a snarl. Remembering that now, she was a totally different Foxy than the one that kissed me a few hours ago. And for that, I was grateful.

Because if it hadn't been for her behavior, I wouldn't still be alive.

"Anyway, it was what happened after Freddy and Foxy left that made us change. That's the part you want to know about right?" Bonnie asked, a small smile tugging at her lips.

I smiled back. "Yeah… I want to know why you both decided to be friends with _me_ of all people, even after a week of trying to kill me."

Bonnie nodded in understanding before taking a breath.

"Even after they left, you were still like prey to us." She admitted. "We had been killing night guards for so long that we didn't really see them as _people_, but as _targets_. Regardless, your achievements over the last week, coupled with how you somehow managed to get Foxy on your side, pushed our curiosities over the line. We _had_ to know more about you, even if you would eventually end up dying. For the night guard that was so different from all the rest, we wanted to at least know your name."

"And that is when everything changed for us…" Chica said, her face turning serious again like it was at the beginning of the conversation. "You were so angry at us… You weren't scared or hateful like all the other guards had been, but you were angry. Angry that we hadn't thought about the value of your life before trying to kill you. Angry that we didn't understand how much we used to mean to you… And after you were done being angry, you didn't lash out at us or run away like most humans would."

"Instead, you curled up into a ball like a little kid would, and you cried." Bonnie said with a sad smile.

At first I started to feel embarrassed again at the realization of not acting manly during a pivotal situation… but then, suddenly, what Bonnie had said clicked.

'_You curled up into a ball like a little kid would, and you cried.'_

'_Like a little kid would,'_

'_Little kid,'_

Earlier they said that they didn't like any humans aside from children because of what humans have done to them in the past. They also said that it got to a point where they didn't see night guards as humans anymore, only as targets.

"Does that mean..?" I asked, the realization still washing over me.

"Yes." They both answered unanimously.

"After capturing our attention with your actions over the past week," Bonnie said,

"And befriending someone who used to be just like us," Chica continued,

"Then being assertive against our behavior, like no other human has,"

"And despite that, acting like a vulnerable child instead of actually hating us,"

"You made us realize that not all humans are the same- at least, _you're_ not the same as other humans." Bonnie explained. "You drew a connection between a night guard- our enemy, and a child- our purpose in life. It was through that example that we realized how much pain we've caused you, and how terrible it was that we had killed so many."

"Basically, you opened our eyes to what we were really doing." Chica concluded.

I looked down at the ground and thought about it for a minute. Everything they had said made sense… and yet I hadn't realized that. I had let fear control my actions and, by extension, had locked them out again despite them having honestly seen the error in their ways.

I felt like trash for doing that.

"Guys… I'm so sorry." I started, looking up at the animatronics who were now looking at me curiously.

"For what?" They both asked.

"For locking you both out earlier." I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "You've spent years being locked out by security guards that didn't trust you, and I just repeated their mistake. I really _do_ like you girls, and I really _do_ believe that you've begun to change. I'm just really sorry that I didn't realize that sooner."

For a moment four colorful eyes stayed trained on me, assessing my words as well as my actions. Then, after a second of exchanging glances with each other, Bonnie and Chica addressed me.

"Does this mean you won't keep us shut out again?" Bonnie asked.

"And that we can be friends, without you being afraid of us?" Chica added on.

I looked at each of them in-turn before nodding.

"Yeah, that's exactly what it means."

There was a moment of silence in the room before they reacted. Some part of me was expecting them to give an emotional response, or at least to return vows of friendship or something. Instead, they exchanged glances before suddenly tackling me while unanimously screaming:

"_Night Guard!_"

I was only caught off-guard for a moment before I realized what was happening. We all fell to the ground in a fit of laughter, wrestling around and joking as if we were the closest of friends.

Maybe it was too soon for this sort of trust- or maybe I should just be glad that things had worked out this well so quickly.

Regardless, one thing was for certain: I truly _had_ given them a second chance, and they truly _had_ used it well.

* * *

**(Bonus)**

Foxy peeked around the corner at Bonnie and Chica as they pounded against the window and door to the security office. She had quickly left the cove once she heard Dustin shouting in distress, but at the moment it didn't seem like he was actually in any danger.

The other two female animatronics weren't acting as if they were hunting him in any way- rather they seemed concerned for his well-being.

_Maybe he's having another mental break-down_… Foxy pondered grimly.

She hated the thought of her precious Dustin being in any sort of discomfort, but there was nothing she could really do at the moment as long as the door was shut.

Besides, she wasn't quite ready to face Bonnie and Chica yet.

Finally though, right as Foxy began to feel as though Dustin needed her to step in, he stopped yelling. Her ears perked as she stared down the hallway with golden eyes, carefully observing the other two as they pressed against his door. All of a sudden the door retracted into the wall, meaning that Dustin had hit the button to open it, and the bunny and chicken animatronics charged inside.

Foxy was a little taken aback by her speed, but didn't hear the sounds of a struggle from inside of the office. Regardless she silently ran to the wall beside the office window on padded feet, taking a moment to peer inside.

What she saw was Dustin being hugged by two animatronics that, by all external accounts, seemed to genuinely care about his well-being.

"W-we're sorry if we worried you…" Bonnie suddenly said from her position against his right arm.

With that as an ice-breaker, the trio gradually began to talk without any signs of a threat toward the night guard. This reassured Foxy, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel a new feeling at the way the other animatronics were holding him like that. Seeing them with their arms around him and heads against his chest made her feel… bad, somehow. More than that, she felt possessive of him.

Her instincts made her want to charge in there and push the others off of him, then cuddle with him in front of them to reiterate that he is hers. However, she knew how important this meeting was and didn't dare disturb it.

_I'll just watch from right here for a while…_ She thought, as she carefully listened in on the group as they talked about all sorts of different topics, most of them recaps of the last five nights or the company's history.

Finally after listening in to a certain point Foxy smiled to herself- she could tell just by the tones of their voices that Bonnie and Chica were beginning to care about Dustin like she had when they first met. There was just something about him… he wasn't like the bad humans that loved to tear them apart. Dustin was the rare kind of human that fixed and picked them up after other humans knocked them down.

She paused for a second as a memory hit her- a large, dark building full of broken animatronics that had been left to rot.

Sure, Dustin had fixed her and changed two others, but was it possible that he could help those even worse off than she was?

She sighed.

_If anyone in the world could, it would be my Dustin_. She thought to herself, positive that it was the truth.

And with that, Foxy turned back down the hall and silently made her way back to a set of familiar faded purple curtains.

* * *

**Alrighty, so there it is! If you enjoyed it then please leave me a review. Your input is super helpful and honestly, I just love hearing from everyone!**

***Questions by **_KyuubiMakai009_:*****

_"When does Mangle come into this?"_

**A: Mangle will be joining the Fazgang very soon, and believe me, I have some special plans for her ;] Keep reading to find out!**

_"Will she be reassembled or still in disrepair?"_

**A: Reassembled, with the ability to fall apart if wanted (She IS a take-apart, put back together attraction after all)**

_"When will Dustin and Foxy confess their feelings for one another?"_

**A: Bwahahahaha.**

_"WHEN WILL THEY DO THE DEED?"_

**A: Bwahahahaha.**

**Now to thank those of you who reviewed in my absence! Yes, I saw all of your reviews and no, the story is obviously not discontinued! Thanks to** spudbud16, el mano, ChapaxD200, Squadpunk 2.0, MattyJones, NatureAce, NETGamer99, Mirage-Faroe, Mewtwo-TheLoneShadow, NightlyIceMeltr, (Jontron-loving) Guest, A Random Fan, John, RevengeS197, LaytriTactics, ThrashMetalMartin, doomhunter, KyuubiMakai009, shadownamesto, Sarget, NecrorexSparda Juubi-No-Kishin, Crimson of the Mandalorians, DnBeanie, flowslikepixelz, Dragoncatt (XD), Joshimi, TheBritishOtaku, DrakeTheTraveller, SC-Samuel, Zeil, MarteUltore, Guest (Number 2), ponyguy2003, 97Newbie, TheBlazingDragon98, KRT215, **and** (Darkimeru05) Guest.

**Thanks guys!**

**-StartersoverLegends**


	24. The Promotion

**Hey guys, thank you all for your patience in waiting for this chapter :) I've been busy as you know, and maaaaaybe kinda cheated on this story with a new project. It's called Monster Hunter: Origins and is a story idea that I've been working with for quite a while. Anyway, I have high hopes for it so please check it out if you're interested ;]**

**With that said, please enjoy! **

* * *

The building was silent as the first rays of sunlight began to flood into the windows of Freddy Fazbear's. It had been a night unlike any other for me… The first time since my employment here that I actually felt _safe_. Well, for the most part that is. Despite patching things up with Bonnie and Chica, I had still found myself paranoid when it came to being around the trio's leader. Despite this I never actually saw Freddy throughout my shift, even though the two female animatronics treated me to a grand tour of the building at night.

That raised some questions for me regarding the bear's whereabouts, but I wasn't really complaining. All that mattered now was that I had made up with Bonnie and Chica to such a point that I no longer doubted their intentions.

As I made my way from the show stage, where I had escorted my two new friends once morning had ended our tour, to the main entrance of the restaurant I paused to watch the rising sun through the clear front doors. The horizon glowed with vibrant oranges and reds, while the sparse clouds filling the sky illuminated in pink hues as a result of the oncoming morning. I smiled to myself as I observed the beautiful start to the day. It was nice, but I couldn't help but realize that it didn't quite mean as much to me as it had throughout the last week.

Sunrise had always meant safety and relief for me as it symbolized the end of each terrifying night. But now… This sunrise actually kind of disappointed me. Maybe because I actually had _fun_ the night before, instead of every moment being saturated with stress and panic.

As I watched the glowing orb outside slowly peak over the horizon my thoughts drifted to the night before. After talking in the security office for a while, Bonnie and Chica had come up with the idea of organizing a night tour for me. Of course I already knew the layout of the building, and had even run through it a few times after-hours, but I still agreed. Getting the animatronics' insight sounded like an amusing way to spend the night, and maybe they could even show me some things that I didn't know about yet.

It was a decision that I didn't regret- if not for more intimate information on the building from those who actually lived there, then for all of the fun that we had together. There were plenty of jokes and stories to go around between thee three of us, making the hours practically fly by. As to be expected, Bonnie proved to be more informative and friendly throughout the night, while Chica provided amusement and humor as well as her signature bouts of teasing and flirtation.

By the time that the sun had started to rise and we split up for the next day, I felt as though we were all that much more familiar with each other. Not that I could speak for the others, but I definitely felt as if our night of hanging out had allowed me to get to know Bonnie and Chica on an even more personal level- something that I really liked.

The night hadn't been all fun and games, however. There was one moment in particular I couldn't seem to get off of my mind... It happened once we had reached the main dining area after walking through both main hallways and the kitchen. We decided to rest for a bit and started to chat before moving on to the next part of the tour. We each pulled chairs out and turned them to face each other before starting what was essentially a game of 20 Questions regarding my life. After several questions about things like education, hobbies, and highlights of my memories, Bonnie had asked something a little more serious.

"_Ok, how about this one? If you could have one wish come true, anything at all, what would it be?" She had asked._

"_Oooh, good one!" Chica said while leaning in to hear my answer._

_I hummed and scratched my chin thoughtfully as I leaned back, thinking through the possibilities. _

"_That's a tough one…" I said earnestly, shaking my head. "I honestly don't know."_

"_Hey, you can't just say that!" Bonnie demanded with a pout, "You have to give us a real answer."_

"_It's a tough question!" I said defensively, "I'd like to see you give a quick answer to a question like that."_

"_Oh, that's easy." Chica started simply, "If I could have one wish, I would bring the others back."_

_Bonnie gasped and turned toward her friend, her face suddenly turning serious. _

"_Chica!"_

"_What?" Chica asked, a hint of defiance in her voice, "Don't act like you don't want the same thing. You're just worried that Freddy will hear us."_

"_I'm sorry, am I missing something?" I had asked, causing both of them to turn back to me._

"_Sorry Dustin, I guess we haven't told you about this yet…" Bonnie started with her ears slightly lowered, "When Chica said 'the others' she was talking about the Toy model animatronics."_

"_The ones at the second location?" I asked, "The supposedly super-safe ones, right?"_

_Chica snorted. "Maybe that's what Fazbear Entertainment wanted you to think. They were actually more dangerous than us at the time… But we loved them."_

_There was a moment of silence in which both animatronics seemed to be remembering their counterparts somberly, until I spoke up again._

"_If you loved them then why doesn't Freddy want you talking about it?" I asked._

"_It brings back too many painful memories." Bonnie answered with sorrow in her eyes. "Freddy might come across as abrasive and stern sometimes, but if there is one thing he loves, it's his family. And even though the Toy models were made from parts taken from us- even though they were created to replace us- he always looked at them like they were a part of our group."_

_It was difficult for me to picture Freddy being that sentimental, but I wasn't about to argue. After all, Bonnie and Chica definitely knew him better than I did._

"_But after that location closed we lost them..." Chica said quietly, giving me another rare glimpse at her serious side. "We don't know what happened, and haven't heard of them since. After a few years we all decided to expect the worst."_

"_I know this might sound weird, but was Foxy close to the Toy models too?" I aksed._

"_Absolutely." Bonnie answered with a nod. "We all were, especially to our remakes."_

"_I think Foxy's remake was named 'Funtime Foxy'," Chica added thoughtfully. "They were like two peas in a pod, until… Well, there were some damages and-"_

"_Funtime Foxy became the Mangle, right?" I asked._

"_Yes, but that's not all." Bonnie said, pausing and cautiously looking around before continuing. "After being dismantled and damaged to a certain point, Funtime Foxy… Changed. Not only in a physical way, but also mentally. Emotionally. She became so dangerous and unpredictable that the rest of us animatronics started to avoid her… She was a threat to anyone and everyone around her- human or not."_

"_The Bite of '87…" I thought aloud, the animatronic's story clicking with Mr. Fazbear's account of the event._

"…_Yes." Bonnie confirmed quietly. "Ultimately it was her insanity that caused the place to be shut down for good."_

"_I get it now," I said, closing the book on that mystery. "But back to the topic at hand… You all really don't know what could have become of those animatronics?"_

"_Nuh-uh." Chica said with a shake of her head._

"_No idea." Bonnie agreed with crossed arms._

_I sighed and looked down at the floor between us. "I know what it feels like to lose a family…" I said, pausing for a moment before looking back up at the two animatronics. "It sucks. I know this might be an overly personal question, but how much do you miss them?"_

"_More than anything in the whole world." Chica said earnestly._

"_I miss them with all of my heart." Bonnie said with a sad smile._

I frowned as the memory ended, the thought being replaced with the image of the rising sun outside. Of course my first instinct was to help them, especially after seeing how much the Toy animatronics still weighed on their hearts, but it didn't seem as though there was anything I could do. It was a helpless feeling, and I completely hated it.

"I wish there was some way to bring them back… If not just for Bonnie and Chica, then for Foxy's sake. Seeing old friends could be just what she needs to make up with everyone. And then there's Freddy…"

I paused and remembered what Bonnie had told me. Apparently Freddy placed a lot of value on his family- including the remakes. If that was the case, then I could only imagine how much it would mean to him if they were to come back. Not that I expected him to really change because of it, but maybe he might become a little friendlier toward me if they somehow came back.

_Wishful thinking_, I thought grimly to myself. _With how much Freddy already dislikes you it would take a miracle just to keep him from wanting to stuff you into a suit. Besides, no one even knows where the animatronics are… Or if they even exist at all anymore. How would you ever find them..?_

My thoughts trailed off as a car pulled into the parking lot outside- the same dark car that I recognized as belonging to Mr. Fazbear. My eyes widened as I watched the man step out of his car and lock it up before turning toward the building, a briefcase in hand.

And it was in that moment, as the grandfather clock began to ring out the chime of a new day, that a lightbulb lit up in my head.

"Good mornin' my boy!" Mr. Fazbear heartily called out once he had unlocked the front door and stepped inside to see me.

"Good morning sir," I said politely as he quickly set the briefcase down on the admittance counter and began rifling through papers.

"Have a nice night?" He asked absentmindedly as he pulled a few forms out and placed them on the counter for the morning staff to see. "Did the animatronics seem to be back to their own selves again?"

"Yes sir, even better than normal." I answered with an inward smile.

The older man paused to look up at me with a large grin.

"Good, good! And perfect timing too. We have some big parties booked for today, you know."

He patted one of the forms on the counter, implying that they held information about the day's plans. Then he returned to rummaging through his papers and humming happily. I watched him for a moment before deciding to put my idea into action.

"So… Mr. Fazbear?" I asked, causing him to pause and look back up at me again. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."

"Sure, go right ahead." He answered.

"I wanted to know more about the Toy animatronics." I started, getting straight to the bottom line. "What happened to them? And if they're still around, where are they?"

I knew that the chances of me getting a straight answer were slim, but if anyone knew about what happened to the Toys then it would be Mr. Fazbear. I also knew that, if he were to actually tell me where they were, I couldn't just go and get them. There were a lot of legal problems with simply retrieving the Toy animatronics for the sake of a family reunion- not to mention the fact that the Toys might not even be in working order any more. Regardless, I wanted to get the truth on the matter. Once my curiosity had been quenched I would work on what to do next.

Mr. Fazbear chuffed under his breath as he returned to his work. "I thought I told you that Fazbear Entertainment did away with them. Unfortunately there was just no coming back from… what happened… and so the Toy models were each destroyed or sold for parts. End of story."

"But sir, are you positive?" I asked, deciding that it was worth prodding for more information. Something about his explanation just felt… rushed. Not to mention I had already seen him lie about the animatronics before.

"Of course I'm sure," He stated as he fished out one last paper and set it down with the others. "I've told you twice now that the Toy animatronics are no more. Why are you having such a hard time accepting that?"

"Because you said the same thing about Foxy, but she's still here." I replied without thought.

Suddenly both of our eyes widened and the room fell completely silent. I hadn't meant to mention Foxy to Mr. Fazbear- after all, he didn't even know that I was aware of her being in the restaurant. However, now that I had there was a possibility that he would figure out my secret… That Foxy and I were actually friends, and that I had been fixing her up behind his back.

"What… Did you say?" He asked slowly as he stared at me with a set expression.

I took a breath. _Crap…_ _Oh well, no going back now._

"I know that Foxy isn't dismantled." I answered. "She's behind the old Pirate's Cove curtains at the back of the building. You told me that she was gone, but she's still there and operational."

"O-operational…" He whispered, his eyes going out of focus with thought. "Did it… attack you? Is it…"

"No." I answered, "She hasn't tried to kill me. I discovered her on accident- she never left the curtains to come after me."

Mr. Fazbear looked down for a moment, suddenly looking much older than usual as he seemed to be working something out in his head. Neither of us moved or said anything until the silence was broken by familiar music coming from the show stage.

"Come with me to my office," Mr. Fazbear said sternly, his voice returning to normal as he composed himself and began walking toward the room in question. "The staff will be here soon and I don't want them hearing about this."

I nodded in agreement and turned to follow him right as more cars began to file into the lot outside. Once we had reached his office door he unlocked it and held it open for me, allowing me inside first before he surveyed the hall then closed it behind him. I took my usual seat in front of his desk while Mr. Fazbear sat in his own chair. It was quiet only for a moment before he spoke up again.

"So, it would seem you've caught me in my white lie." He said with a small smile- though it was obviously faked for the sake of hospitality. "As you have learned, Foxy isn't decommissioned. It was far too expensive as a whole to simply rip apart the animatronic and re-sell it as parts. Keeping Foxy was a decision that I made a long time ago- if not for its value then for nostalgia's sake. It was one of the original Fazbear Friends after all, so it was never in a different building from the others."

There was a pause between us before he cleared his throat and continued.

"Of course, now that I know it's still operational, it's a possible hazard… If it were to somehow hurt someone there would be an enormous financial hit on the company. The thing will have to be dealt with promptly."

I felt my eyes widen as a sudden sense of panic rose from my core. There was no way he meant that in a good way… What was he going to do to her?

"But that's not what you want to hear about, now is it?" He asked, moving on as if he had said nothing at all. "Regarding the Toy animatronics… I suppose I owe you the truth, seeing as you have been such a good and _quiet_ guard."

He leaned in closer to me, resting his elbows on the desk between us.

"They, too, aren't really destroyed." He said in a low voice, "In fact, they never even left the second location. They were simply shut down and stored in the back room, where they've served as a sort of recycling bin for us. Just as we used to strip parts from the original four, we stripped parts from the Toys when we were re-modeling Freddy and his crew. It helped with some of the cost, you see."

"So… They're still back there somewhere?" I asked for clarity, "And they haven't been touched since around the time that this location opened?"

"Correct." He answered simply, "Though I have no idea why you'd care about them. Regardless, I believe we're even now."

"Even? What do you mean?" I asked.

"I've given you classified information about the second generation animatronics, and in return you've given me the status of the animatronic that I have stored here, without me having to risk someone's life to periodically check on it. Now that I know that the thing is still operational I'll have to do something about it… What a hassle."

"What do you mean 'do something about it'?" I asked slowly, my hands balling into fists from all of his vague implications. "You're not going to hurt her, are you?"

"'Hurt her'?" Mr. Fazbear asked with a raised eyebrow. "You can't hurt a robot, Dustin. Honestly, I'm beginning to feel as though the last week has changed you. You weren't nearly this concerned with the animatronics or their whereabouts on your first few days. You were all-work for all-cash… the way a guard_ should_ be."

The tone in his voice was tense, as if he was accusing me of being snoopy. Not that I could deny it, but I already knew so much about the company... What else was there to hide from me?

_Never mind that, what is he planning to do to Foxy? _I thought, pushing the rest of my questions to the side.

"You didn't answer my question." I said in a low, dangerous voice as I began to stand up from my seat. "What are you going to do to Foxy?"

"What should have been done years ago," He said, tensing a little from my shift in body language. "I'm going to have a team go in there and dismantle her core."

_Oh, Hell no._

"You… What?" I growled, the thought of Foxy's core getting ripped out sparking a fire in my heart.

"We're going to deactivate her." Mr. Fazbear stated adamantly, standing up to hold eye contact with me. "That's not a problem, is it Mr. Juniper?"

"Actually it is." I answered with a glare. "Sir, with whatever respect I owe you, I have to advise that you don't kill Foxy."

Mr. Fazbear chuffed sarcastically before sitting back down. "And why, Mr. Juniper, would I do that? Also, why do you care so much what _I_ do with _my_ animatronics?"

"Because she's special." I answered, having no other choice but to wing my explanation and hope that I could somehow talk him out of it. And if I couldn't do that… Well, they would have to get through me to hurt something as beautiful as her.

"Special? How?" He asked, leaning forward again. "All I see is a damaged and unpredictable threat toward my customers."

"For one, she's not as damaged as you think." I said, trying to word myself carefully as to not let something slip out. "If you wanted to, you could have her perform right beside the other three and she would be just as good, if not better. And for two, I don't think she's any threat toward anyone. When I found her, she made no move to hurt me- in fact, she was just as friendly as Bonnie and Chica are during shows."

For a moment the stern look on Mr. Fazbear's face wavered into a mixture of disbelief and thoughtfulness. However, it wasn't long before he pushed those things aside and replied.

"Even if I did take your words for truth, Dustin, I could never let Foxy perform again. She's as dangerous as that Mangle was, and in twice better shape. If she were to ever hurt someone, I would be tossed straight from the pan and into the fire. And I'm in no mood to be burned."

"You're making a mistake if you kill her." I said, not giving in an inch. "She's got serious potential, and she's completely unique from the others."

"Then what do you suggest I do then?" Mr. Fazbear asked with a raised voice, his arms extending upward in an exasperated manner. "Do you want me to keep a deadly animatronic in the back of the store forever?"

"No, that would be wrong." I answered. "If it were me, I would let her do what she was made for- entertaining children."

The older man shook his head with a grunt of dismissal.

"What a stupid thing to do," He said angrily, "And when that thing kills someone, who will take the fall then huh?"

"I would." I said honestly, staring him straight in the eyes. "But it would never happen in the first place."

Mr. Fazbear stared at me for a moment with consideration wrestling against the negative expressions on his face.

"_You_ would take responsibility for that thing?" He asked.

"I would, if you would let me." I answered.

He stared at me for a moment more before shaking his head.

"My answer is no. I'll call someone to shut Foxy down tonight." He said, turning his head in defiance. "That's that. Now go before I suspend you for disobeying your superior."

As the man in front of me turned to his computer and began typing away dismissively, I clinched my fists. He thought that the battle was over, but I still had one card up my sleeve to get my way.

And it was the damn Ace of Spades.

"No." I said, my soft word hitting the room like a roar.

"_What?_" He hissed as he turned to look at me with eyes wide in fury.

"I said no." I reiterated, before pacing around his desk and looking down at him confidently. "Mr. Fazbear, I have a proposition for you… for a promotion."

The man stared at me for a second, as if in shock, before belting out a sarcastic laugh.

"You want me to give you a promotion, while simultaneously defying me?" He asked, "And how do you figure that will work, Mr. Juniper?"

"Because if you don't listen to me then I'll go straight to the press and tell them everything." I answered simply. "Have you already forgotten that just the other day this building was surrounded by news crews? This restaurant is already under a microscope from the media. Just imagine if the star of their latest newsflash were to come back, claiming that the animatronics _weren't_ safe, and that he was bribed to lie to the world by his boss? This place would go down in flames."

In all my time working at Freddy Fazbear's, I never saw Mr. Fazbear's expression change so fast from fury to terror. Immediately all traces of color were drained from his face, while his eyes went wide and mouth hung open in shock.

"Y-you wouldn't…" He stuttered.

"You said you owed me a favor, right?" I asked, turning and walking back over to my side of his desk. "This is me calling it in. And if you agree then it could pay off for you too."

He watched me for a second before sitting up and clearing his throat to compose himself. Then he nodded.

"Go on then, I should at least hear you out." He started, "But you should know that I could easily deny your claims to the media. I've got a corporation behind me, after all, while you've only got local buzz. Let's not get too cocky, eh? And mostly, let's not turn this into a tug-of-war. We're going to handle this like gentlemen- and nothing we say should leave this room either."

_Nice terms and conditions speech he's got there_, I thought to myself. _Well at least now I have a shot at saving Foxy and retrieving the Toys too, if I can play this right. Two birds with one stone._

"Mr. Fazbear, I'd like to promote to a position that could make your life easier, while also allowing me to do something great."

"And what position might this be?" He asked, clasping his hands together in a businessman's fashion.

"Along with being your night guard, I'd also like to become Animatronic Supervisor." I answered with an inward smile.

Mr. Fazbear chuckled. "Boy, I'm afraid that's not a position that we offer. Our animatronics are automatic, and therefore don't require a boss. Though you can play pretend with them all you'd like."

"No, it's nothing like that." I said, leaning back in my seat. "See, as Animatronic Supervisor, I would be in charge of having the animatronics run smoothly and efficiently. I would handle all maintenance scheduling, all cleaning, and if something were to go wrong with the animatronics, I would take full blame for it."

"So if there were to be a… glitch, that were to lead to bodily harm, the company wouldn't be affected?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Yep. I would come up with some confession and take the full responsibility on myself, so that it doesn't hurt you." I said, using my best sales-pitch voice. "However, this position has to benefit me too… And I have some demands."

"Alright, let's hear it."

I took a breath before continuing. Here came the clincher.

"First, I would be in charge of making changes to existing attractions, and would also have the liberty to add new attractions. Of course, as I said earlier, if I make a mistake that results in someone getting hurt, then I will take all of the blame and you can take back power freely. Secondly, I want reasonable resources- construction crew, mechanics, technicians… Basically, the people that you call when you want something done around here. And third… What I say about the animatronics goes. Like you said, no tug-of-wars or power struggles. They will be my responsibility, for me to do with as I please, but still your property. You still get any profit that they make, aside from a small fund that I will use for projects. Well… That's it. That's my proposal."

Silence followed my words for much longer than I would have liked it to. As I studied the face of the man staring back at me I couldn't help but feel a little crazy for actually going through with this. After all, who in their right mind would want to work intimately with the same things that had tried to kill them just days prior? Regardless, this was something that I really wanted. Not only would it mean Foxy's returned freedom, but it would also allow me to retrieve what was left of the Toy animatronics in the interest of possibly saving them.

But none of that would ever happen if I wasn't given this position. Of course I could go through with my threat in that case and talk to the media, but it would be hard to say how far that would actually go. After all, I was only one person- and Mr. Fazbear indeed had a company behind him with experience in handling the press.

Just as the growing insecurities regarding my request were beginning to become unbearable, a small chuckle escaped from Mr. Fazbear's mouth. Then a giggle. Then a full-out fit of laughter. Before long the man was arching against his chair, head tossed back as thunderous laughter filled the room.

I, however, was completely and utterly confused.

"Um, Mr. Fazbear..?" I asked, but was only met with laughter for several more seconds.

Finally, the man's laughter died down and he paused to wipe a tear from his eye.

"So let me get this straight," He started, putting on a slightly more serious face. "You want to take a position that, alongside your night guard duties, would place you here nearly 24 hours a day, right?"

"…Yes." I answered.

"And on top of that, you don't want a pay increase for your extra work?"

"Yes, the current amount is fine."

"Additionally, if something were to go wrong then you would take a hit for the company? You have no problem letting us throw you under the bus if something bad happens?"

"Yep."

"Well, that's bloody brilliant!" The man said, before bursting into laughter again. "It's the looniest thing I've ever heard, but it sounds great to me!"

"Wait, really?" I asked in slight disbelief that he would give me so much freedom so readily.

"Sure! Innovation has always been the heart of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria- and if you want to stick out your own neck for the sake of making changes, then I say be my guest! You haven't let me down yet, after all. And lasting a week as a night guard here says a lot about a person."

"So… You agree to my conditions then?" I asked.

Once more my boss studied my face for a moment before shrugging.

"What the hell, why not? I hereby grant you the title of Animatronic Supervisor."

"_Really_? It's _that_ easy?" I asked, amazed at the rapid turn that this conversation had taken.

"Nah, I'll have to pull some strings with the higher-ups and do a mountain of paperwork, but it's nothing I can't handle." He said with a grin. "To be honest I'm actually excited to see where things go under your supervision, Mr. Juniper. Just don't take it personally if things go sour and I have to throw you under the bus."

_None taken..?_

"Now then, there's one last condition that _I_ have before I can let go of the reins…" He started, becoming serious once again. "This new title comes with a lot of freedom, but I'm still your boss… Understod? If you want to make a major change, you have to run it by me first. And if you begin to slack on either your night guard or supervisor duties, then I will revoke your privileges with the animatronics. Remember, it's still _my_ store."

"Sure, that sounds reasonable I guess. I mean, you've been pretty generous on my end." I agreed.

"Good. And speaking of letting me know when you want to make a change, I have a bit of a gut feeling regarding what you plan to do with this new position. Am I wrong to assume that you're planning on bringing some old friends back to the stage?"

"Not at all." I answered with a smile. "But I'll need-"

"Say no more," He said with a shake of his head. "I'll call Fritz about installing a new Pirate's Cove, and I can get you the address of the second location restaurant… But everything else is up to you. Foxy's appearance, act, and behavior are your responsibilities. I'm also expecting you to oversee the retrieval and repair of the Toy animatronics personally. But given your sudden interest in all of this, I don't think that will be a problem."

"You won't regret this, sir. I'm going to make this place bigger than it was back in the eighties, you'll see."

"Something tells me that you're absolutely right," He said with a chuckle.

He then paused for a second and bent under his desk, rustling through doors before rising back up with a rusty keychain with three unique keys on it.

"These will get you into the second location. The Toys should be at the back of the building, in a storage room. I'm trusting you to get them back here- you can use the company van around back to transport them. But Dustin? Do be careful. This is a dangerous road you're choosing, and things could very easily backfire on you."

"Thanks, I'll go get them right away." I said, failing to contain the excitement in my voice as I accepted the keys as well as a slip of paper that Mr. Fazbear scribbled an address onto.

"Good luck! Oh… and I was serious about the fox one after all." Mr. Fazbear said, his voice going low again. "Be careful with the Mangle alright? I'm not sure if the thing is still operational, but be cautious just in case."

"I will," I said, turning for the door. "I'll be back later with the Toy animatronics."

With that I closed the office door behind me and began to make my way toward the entrance area, walking quickly past troves of children as well as staff and parents. I was equally excited for the animatronics to be reunited and determined to make a positive change in this restaurant, to put an end to the history of death and mystery that shrouded it.

But even though I walked toward the front door, confident and elated due to my new position in the company, I couldn't help but feel a bit of dread in the pit of my stomach.

Was it because of what Mr. Fazbear had said about the Mangle? Or was it a warning that I was re-entering dangerous territory?

Either way, change would never come for these animatronics if the human they trusted wouldn't make that change happen.

* * *

**There it is, chapter 24! Now there's a chapter for each hour of the day, and many more installments to come ;]**

**Like I mentioned above, I'm terribly sorry about the wait on this chapter. However, I just got a new laptop so hopefully that will help in actually developing a release schedule for these. **

**Unfortunately I'm typing this A/N on my phone before bed, so no shoutouts this time :/ but to everyone who reviewed, thanks a ton! You helped motivate me to get back to work, so I hope this chapter was worth the time it took you to type me your thoughts ;]**

**Btw, the Joy of Creation is terrifying. I love it.**

**Please leave me a review if you feel up to it! I appreciate every one I get :)**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-StartersoverLegends **


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